


Room 107

by littleredbean



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Attempt at Humor, Dating, F/F, Family, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hotels, Long-Distance Relationship, Love at First Sight, Mild Language, Side Samo, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-03-09 19:42:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 22,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18923773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleredbean/pseuds/littleredbean
Summary: When Mina goes away for a weekend to visit her mother, she doesn't expect to find love in the form of a hotel receptionist named Jeongyeon.





	1. Butterflies and Reservations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know it says it was published 10/7, but i actually posted the first chapter i think 31/5

**[11:18]**

Deep chocolate brown hair tied firmly into a ponytail, fringe covering her forehead, Mina stood in front of the quaint hotel and viewed it from top to bottom. Her eyes observed how the paint on the border around the windows was chipping off, and how the front door itself had a crack in it that was covered messily with duct tape. An exhale left her lips, _'It's only a place to stay for the weekend while I visit my mother. It's not...too bad. Maybe the inside is much better.’_ She closed her eyes briefly before taking another deep breath in and letting it go.

Picking up her holdall, she straightened her back and took confident steps towards the door, pushing it open with her free hand.

The lobby was small, with the reception desk to the left and two blue velvet armchairs opposite it. Between the chairs was a tall plant, and behind said greenery was a painting of a fruit bowl sat atop a table. Mina took the painting in as she placed her holdall on the floor. Ahead of her was the staircase up to the rooms; she turned her head to look at them and noticed the carpet was slightly worn away on a few steps. The wallpaper seemed old but she quite liked the design: beige coloured with blue flowers scattered evenly across it.

After some time, her eyes found the receptionist's desk. No one to be found. She picked up her luggage and walked over to the desk; finding a bell, she pressed down on it once and it made a loud ringing sound. In no time at all, a door marked “Private - Staff Only” opened, revealing a tall woman with short blonde hair, wearing a white shirt, blue blazer and matching blue knee-length skirt. There was a badge on her blazer, and the closer she got the more Mina tried to make out what it said: _'Jeongyeon.’_

The blonde woman brushed herself down before her eyes truly met the brunette's for the first time. Jeongyeon could have sworn there were tiny butterflies in her stomach that appeared just from the smile the beautiful stranger gave her, but she decided to dismiss them, even when it grew as she began to speak.

What else could Mina do? She was just trying to be polite. Even if she thought the receptionist, Jeongyeon, was an extremely pretty woman.

“Hi, I have a reservation for this weekend in the name of Myoui Mina,” the woman who Jeongyeon had just learned the name of finally said, stepping closer to the desk and resting her forearms on it, having since ditched her holdall again.

The quiet voice washed over Jeongyeon, and it only made the butterflies go faster. Their eyes met once again before the blonde nervously coughed and turned her attention to the computer in front of her.

"U-Um...a reservation? For...I'm really sorry, I'm terribly forgetful with names,” even though Jeongyeon had been reciting her full name in her head ever since ten seconds ago when she first spoke, “what was it, again?” She lifted her head. Myoui Mina's eyes shined, seemingly reflecting the ball of light that made up the lamp hanging from the ceiling above them.

“Myoui Mina. Just for two nights.”

Jeongyeon clicked away at the mouse, quietly mumbling to herself as she found what she was looking for. A short pause passed and then, “Ah! There we are.” They ran through the necessary details and Jeongyeon had Mina sign a piece of paper. As the brunette returned the pen her smile was even wider, making Jeongyeon's heart seemingly do backflips. _'We barely know each other, and have only been aware of each other's existence for five minutes. Why, brain, why?’_

The blonde turned her back and opened the key cupboard. Her fingers danced along each of the gold, metal pieces before she found the one with a keyring attached marked _107._ She spun round and placed the key into Mina's hands, directing her up the stairs to where room 107 was.

“Thank you very much, Jeongyeon,” Mina softly spoke, and it was all Jeongyeon needed to hear to know that she was getting a crush. _'It won't last though, will it?’_

As Mina gave another smile, she picked up her luggage and began walking away, towards and up the stairs, but she couldn't help turning her head once more and giving another genuine smile, which was immediately returned.

As Mina walked away, her heart beating a hundred times a minute, she wondered if she would ever find out more about Jeongyeon.

And as Jeongyeon rested her chin in her hand, she couldn't help but think about how it would feel to hold Mina's hand in her own.

 


	2. Let Me Show You Around

**[11:47]**

Mina had wasted no time becoming acquainted with her room and unpacking her holdall. Since she was only staying for a weekend she didn't need to pack much, and for the next two days she would be spending most of her time with her mother.

That's when the image of Jeongyeon's shy smile and the sound of her quiet voice filled her mind.

What was it about her that made Mina's heart flip upside down? She wasn't sure, and didn't know whether she would ever be able to find out. _‘It seemed like she was the only receptionist that worked here, meaning she’s probably here 24/7.’_

The brunette sighed as she put her wash bag in the quaint bathroom.

She checked her phone; she had left quite early in the morning to take a two hour train ride to where her mother lived so she could explore the city.

Now the only that was going through her mind was wanting Jeongyeon to be her tour guide.

Shaking her head, she took one final look at the room before grabbed her handbag and, putting it over her shoulder, left the room.

As she shut the door and locked it, she was greeted by an elderly couple who were passing by to get to their room, and they smiled and waved at Mina, who returned a smile.

She was always known to be civil, so if someone was harmlessly saying hello, she would say it back.

Leisurely, she strolled along the corridor, taking note of the interior design. Each door had a gold plaque on them stating what room it was.

As she approached the staircase, a young child came flying past her up the stairs, almost sending her flying. The parents of the child followed and apologised, and Mina responded with, “It's okay,” a small chuckle escaping her lips.

Downstairs, Jeongyeon was sat at the desk twiddling her thumbs, waiting for her shift to end. She alternated between shifts with her sister, meaning she had the 6am to 12pm and 6pm to 12am shift, and Seungyeon had the other two time slots. It was a functioning hotel, and a good system for the two of them.

The hotel was small, compared to most of the other hotels in the city, which made Jeongyeon wonder what lead Mina to walk into her hotel. She called it “her” hotel, and it technically was, but it was mostly her sister's since she was older. Their parents had owned the business for thirty years before they retired and passed it down to their daughters, and they had a goal to keep it as homely as possible. There were few staff, but it was never short-staffed, and they had all the amenities they needed to run a hotel.

As Jeongyeon contemplated the new customer's decision-making, she noticed the beautiful woman in question descending the stairs. She straightened her back and when Mina glanced up to look at her, Jeongyeon gave the brightest smile she could, leading Mina to do the same back.

“You going out?” the blonde woman asked.

“Uh, yes…!” Mina replied happily, before she suddenly looked a little worried, which Jeongyeon saw straight away.

“Is everything okay?”

Mina turned to look at the older woman before admitting that she had never been here and that she didn't really know her way around. It was the first time she had seen her mother since she moved. Jeongyeon's smile grew.

“Perhaps I could take you around town?” The brunette seemed confused before asking if she was allowed to since she was a receptionist. “Oh, yeah! I'm not the only one that works here as a receptionist, my older sister is one too!”

“Ah, that's nice,” Mina’s words trailed off slightly as she wore a warm smile on her face. Jeongyeon nodded coyly, averting her eyes from Mina's gaze. The younger woman was mesmerised by the fact that the blonde had switched from someone who confidently asked if she could join her, to the timid woman that she met just half an hour ago.

“Jeongyeon, right?” Mina spoke quietly, taking steps forward towards the desk.

Jeongyeon lifted her head, “Yes, Mina right?” Mina nodded in response. “My shift finishes in less than ten minutes, and then I have the next six hours free. We could...go grab some coffee, or something?” The older woman’s shyness grew as she tapped her fingers along the desk. She had just asked Mina out to coffee.

“I would like that very much,” the brunette replied with a bigger smile. Jeongyeon nodded a few times, a giggle escaping her lips. As if on cue, Jeongyeon's sister, Seungyeon, walked through the front door of the hotel.

Her ashy brown hair tied up in a bun, she said “hi” to Jeongyeon before greeting the brunette stood in the lobby.

“Who's this then?” Seungyeon asked, walking round the back of the desk in the direction of the office.

“Seungyeon...this is Mina,” Jeongyeon replied, holding out her hand to indicate her. Her older sister returned from the office and nodded slightly as she spoke.

“New friend? New--”

Jeongyeon cut in before her sister had a chance to embarrass her in front of Mina, “We...just met actually. She's never been here so I agreed to show her around.”

“Oh! I see. Well, Mina, prepare for her to take you around to all the little indie places and shops that are off the main street.”

Mina lightly chuckled at the thought; she honestly loved the sound of that idea.

The humiliation started to grow on Jeongyeon's face, heat rising in her cheeks, before Mina stepped forward and whispered, “Let's get going,” making the butterflies in the blonde woman's stomach go crazy.

“Don't forget to clock out!” Seungyeon called from the office. Jeongyeon shook her head before telling Mina that she would just quickly get changed.

Inside the office, the sisters chatted amongst themselves, Seungyeon teasing her younger sister about the pretty woman she had just met, earning a slight shove from Jeongyeon.

When the blonde had left the room, she was wearing a simple pair of skinny blue jeans, a black top with orange writing on it and a denim jacket over the top. She was suddenly wearing glasses as well. It was quite the opposite from Mina's teal blue summer dress that had different types of flowers over it that she wore a lighter jacket over.

While Mina wore small heels, Jeongyeon wore trainers.

After clocking out, the older woman put her backpack on one shoulder and led the younger out of the hotel and onto the street.

“Now where did we say we were gonna go first?” she asked, adjusting her glasses.

“I think you mentioned coffee?”

“Ah yes! Now did I…” She reached into her backpack and searched for her purse, which she eventually found. “Ah good, I did, cool,” she sighed, relieved, and put her backpack on again. “Now, let's head to my favourite café. You'll love it.”

Mina wore a pleased grin. She trusted Jeongyeon's opinion.

And a cup of coffee in one of the prettiest towns she had ever seen, with an extremely beautiful woman by her side, sounded like a perfect idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twitter: @littleredbean37


	3. A Latte & A Little Spark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just remembered, I gave no context to their location! They are in Japan, and a little more info is given about that in this chapter; I'm really sorry! I guess I just didn't establish the setting too specifically because I never expected that I would turn this into a multi-chapter fic;😅 Anyway, these chapters are gonna be short because I want to keep the fic within 10k words;🤞

**[12:34]**

Jeongyeon held open the door for Mina to her most favourite coffee shop in the entire city, possibly in all of Japan, and breathed in the familiar scent that always welcomed her. She was a regular, and was more than happy to introduce this place to her…

How should she refer to Mina? Acquaintance seemed too formal. Friend didn't feel right. Maybe companion? Girlfriend was definitely off limits.

_'Just stick to Mina, idiot. Mina is a good start.’_

Once Mina had walked through the door, they shared a smile and Jeongyeon let the door shut. She allowed Mina to go first, to which the brunette replied, “Oh no, you, please, I don't know my way around,” she admitted, a little blush forming on her cheeks. Jeongyeon pushed her glasses up before laughing shyly and taking the lead.

They both walked up to the counter and the blonde turned to Mina, asking what she wanted.

“A latte, please.”

“And lunch?”

Mina eyed the menu for a few seconds before making her selection; Jeongyeon followed suit before ordering.

The two of them left to find a table and decided on one beside a window. They placed their bags to the side and gazed out, taking in the atmosphere. Mina was surprised that she had never been to this part of Japan before, and told herself that she must return.

If not for the beauty of the city, but for the woman who she had just met a little over an hour ago, and who had bought her coffee _and_ lunch.

A waiter brought over their beverages and lunch, the two women thanking him.

Mina brought the coffee cup up to her lips and tried cooling it down briefly before putting it back down again. Jeongyeon left her latte to the side and began eating her lunch. Mina did the same.

Between mouthfuls, Mina spoke, “So...tell me about you.”

The blonde met her eyes. She swallowed the bite she was eating and began, “Well, I was originally born in Korea. We moved here when I was really young. A baby, maybe. My Dad came to Japan prior to me being born to start the hotel business, and then my Mum and sister followed. They stayed here for a while before returning, and then a couple of years later, I was born.” Mina nodded, invested. “That's when they decided to make a permanent move to Japan.”

Mina hummed along with story. Jeongyeon then inquired about her.

“Well, I was originally born in Texas, but I moved here when I was much younger too. I lived out my usual school life and came out with pretty good grades… I then moved out with the help of my parents. Just some tiny apartment two hours away. My mother moved but my father stayed. It was a complicated thing. My Dad has to stay where he is for work.” Mina's eyes began to well up, and Jeongyeon's smile faded. “But all is good between them, they just... don't see each other as often.”

The brunette lifted her head from her lunch and stared pensively out of the window. Jeongyeon nervously brushed her hand over Mina's as she spoke, “I'm sorry to hear that…” Her hand moved away after a mere second and the spark they both felt lingered.

Mina stared at where Jeongyeon's hand had just been touching hers, “It's okay. I still make the effort to see them both as much as possible.”

They caught each other's gaze again, and a shy smile washed over both of their faces as they continued eating and drinking in somewhat comfortable silence.

After a short while, “So you said this was your first time here since your mother moved?” Jeongyeon queried.

Mina nodded, “Yes, that's right.”

The blonde nodded, drinking the rest of her latte. Mina was impressed that she seemed to finish it so quickly, looking at her own cup and finding half of her coffee still left.

Ten more minutes passed, and between finishing their lunch and Mina taking more sips of her latte, they found out more about each other.

Their favourite colour, favourite music, Mina's love of ketchup and Jeongyeon's love of bad jokes, the one she told making the brunette chuckle when in reality it was a terrible pun.

They began with learning the basics about one another's personality, wanting to learn more but not going too deep too quickly.

For the moment, they were enjoying each other's company, and the friendship that was forming between them.

They both noticed how they seemed to click right away, without being too obvious about it.

As they left the coffee shop, they continued to chat about life in general, their hands brushing against one another multiple times.

Jeongyeon kept stealing glances at Mina, a little pang hitting her heart every time she remembered that in two days, she would be going home.

And Mina couldn't help but wish that Jeongyeon had held onto her hand in the coffee shop a little longer.

Just to feel the spark again that, unbeknownst to her, Jeongyeon could feel too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twitter: @littleredbean37


	4. Cherry Blossoms & Growing Feelings

**[15:46]**

Mina held her phone up to take a picture of the cherry blossom tree, sticking her tongue out in concentration. Jeongyeon stood behind her, simply admiring how the brunette's hair blew in the breeze, her dress swaying in the wind.

Once Mina was done, she spun around and caught the blonde's eyes, saying “Smile!”

Jeongyeon caught on quickly and gave the biggest smile she could.

Mina saw how her eyes sparkled when she smiled; the blonde pushed her hair back out of her face, and Mina briefly looked up from her phone and at the blonde woman herself. Their eyes seemed to find one another a lot as they kept stealing glances. The brunette found herself staring a little too long before she quickly turned back to her phone and took a picture.

The younger woman looked at the picture and grinned, her heart suddenly racing. She then heard Jeongyeon say, “Let me take a picture of you! Under the cherry blossom!”

Mina glanced up to find the blonde woman walking up to her, the closer they got making the blush on their cheeks grow.

“Are you sure?” she asked timidly, barely able to look her in the eyes.

“Yeah, I think it would...um, be a good match for... your dress!” Jeongyeon stuttered.

They gazed at one another before Mina gave her her phone. She went to stand below the cherry blossom when she decided to remove her jacket as it was getting warmer. Once Jeongyeon moved back to get the best picture she turned to view Mina and saw that her dress was off-the-shoulder, making her heart flutter.

_ 'Wow...she looks so beautiful. What were the odds?’ _

Mina put her bag and jacket aside and leaned against the tree. Jeongyeon couldn't help but stare at how elegant she looked just by standing underneath the cherry blossom.

The brunette let a tiny smile wash over her face as she stared off into the distance. To Jeongyeon, she radiated a certain type of ethereal beauty, and the way she stood contemplatively made her look like a model;  _ ‘I wouldn't be surprised if she did that as a part-time job.’ _

Jeongyeon never expected to develop a crush on someone so quickly, but there was something about Mina that instantly drew her to the brunette.

Jeongyeon took a few pictures on Mina's phone before she lowered it and nervously asked, “Um...may I take a picture of you with my camera?”

Mina glanced over at the blonde woman who was taking off her backpack and opening it to take out said camera.

Over the past couple of hours, they had learned more about what they did in terms of schooling. Mina learned that Jeongyeon was a photography major, and Jeongyeon learned that Mina went to ballet school.

As the blonde woman put Mina's phone in her pocket, she spoke, “M-My next project...involves, um...taking p-pictures of people and nature. And I've...taken a lot of pictures of nature, but I need more people. I was just asking people around the uni but not everyone had the time or they didn't want to be on camera…”

“I'll help you out, gladly,” Mina agreed, smiling.

Jeongyeon looked up from where she was fiddling with her camera and saw the brunette tilt her head to the side. “You sure? That would be so amazing, thank you!” Her face lit up.

Mina smiled broadly and adjusted her dress to make it look perfect.

Jeongyeon lifted her camera and put her eye to the viewfinder. She zoomed in the lens and clicked the button a few times, stopping every so often to look over the pictures. Mina changed her posture a few times, following the sound of the shutter. Jeongyeon was amazed at how she flowed naturally from pose to pose. After a while, Mina began giggling at how funny she felt being in front of a camera, but she was happy to help the photographer.

The blonde woman caught these candid shots of her wide smile before she stared straight into the lens, making Jeongyeon lower the camera suddenly, her eyes getting lost in the younger woman's deep brown orbs.

Mina then called out, “Everything okay?”

Jeongyeon glanced up briefly before looking back down, “Y-Yes, everything's okay. Perfect, even. Just perfect, thank you,” she proclaimed. The butterflies in her stomach were flying everywhere and she couldn't calm them down.

Mina picked up her jacket and bag and walked up to Jeongyeon, biting the inside of her lip.

“Did the pictures come out okay?”

Jeongyeon nodded, still inspecting the pictures, and silently turned her camera around to show Mina. She started from the beginning and flicked through the photos, and Mina almost didn't recognise herself. The blonde woman muttered under her breath, “Wow…”

Mina caught her gaze again and they smiled at one another.

Neither of them knew the other person's feelings, and couldn't even describe their own, but they knew that something was bubbling up on the inside for the other person.

The brunette averted her gaze first, put her jacket over the top of her bag, and put her bag on her shoulder. Jeongyeon coughed and turned off her camera, putting it back in its case and in her backpack. Mina then suddenly asked, “D-Do you have my phone?”

Jeongyeon felt her pocket and pulled out the device, saying, “Oh, here it is, I'm so sorry,” before giving it back to her; Mina took it and smiled, thanking her.

The blonde woman put her backpack on her shoulder, and thought about where they could go next. They had been walking for a long time and took a stroll over a bridge to get to where they were, so Jeongyeon was busy pondering when Mina suggested they go to one of the indie shops her sister mentioned.

“Oh! Good idea, I can't believe I didn't think of that sooner. Okay, follow me, I've got the perfect place.”

As Jeongyeon walked away, Mina came to stand nearly shoulder to shoulder with the blonde woman, making the older woman's cheeks burn. Mina felt quite shy in doing it, but once their hands were beside one another, their fingers dancing around the idea of intertwining themselves, they both started to question the idea of the other person having feelings.

_ ‘What if she did?’  _ Mina thought.

_ ‘Is it possible?’  _ Jeongyeon wondered; the electricity never diminished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twitter: @littleredbean37


	5. A Little Teapot & A Lot of Blushing

**[16:52]**

_ “I want to get my Mum a gift - something for her new house.” _

That's what Mina had said twenty minutes prior when they had finally reached the indie shopping street Jeongyeon was talking about.

In and out of shops they went, Mina huffing a little louder every time they left one because she couldn't find the  _ perfect  _ gift.

_ “I don't just want something for Mum. I want to take something back for Dad, too.” _

The brunette listed off everything in her mind she could think of that would be an appropriate housewarming gift, but not one item she saw took her fancy.

Jeongyeon tried to help as much as possible, and could see Mina getting frustrated. That's when she gently pulled her round by her shoulders and said, “No matter what you get your parents, I'm sure they'll love it.” She smiled at Mina as the brunette took in their proximity.

They gazed at one another, trying to find any signs, any hints, but were both so focused that it caused Jeongyeon to cough after a while and remove her hands.

Not before running her hands down Mina's arm to her  _ elbows  _ then taking them away.

Mina felt her cheeks burn.  _ 'Did she have to do that? Did she have to do that?!’  _ Mina pondered.  _ 'Why did she stop?’ _

Jeongyeon turned and felt the second-hand embarrassment eat away at her.

She was just being reassuring, she was just being kind - why did it feel so…

“I think I've spotted something…!” Mina spluttered, her eyes finding a small teapot in the shop window. Truthfully, she needed a distraction, but once she got closer she noticed that it was a  _ perfect _ gift.

A little porcelain white teapot with blue flowers on it and a bamboo handle that came with two matching teacups.

Jeongyeon followed Mina and the brunette pointed out the item. “That's the one.”

“It's really pretty, you sure that's the one?”

Mina turned her head to the blonde woman, still trying to work out why the butterflies in her stomach went crazy every time she smiled, or pushed her glasses up, or brushed their hands together…

“Absolutely,” she nodded once with conviction.

Jeongyeon met her eyes and smiled wide. “Okay,” she said, standing up, “let’s get it.”

Their hands continued to brush.

How badly they both wanted to hold each other's hand.

**[17:38]**

Jeongyeon shifted anxiously and clicked her phone on and off multiple times. She didn't want to end their afternoon together, but she knew she had a shift to go back to.

Mina checked her phone, “Oh my God,” she fretted, “we should go, doesn't your shift start soon? I don't want you to be late!”

Jeongyeon calmed her down, even though she was panicking herself because they were about a forty-five-minute walk away from the hotel.

“It will be okay, we'll just call for a taxi.” Mina let the breath she was holding go, making the blonde woman chuckle.

“What?”

“Nothing, that was just adorable,” Jeongyeon admitted, a coy smile reaching her lips.

Mina bit the inside of her lip, “Me caring about you not being late is... adorable?”

Jeongyeon looked up, “Just the way you're acting. It's quite cute,” she confessed.

The brunette gazed up at her. For the first time they  _ really  _ saw each other, and the two of them could feel their breaths hitch.

The blonde then glanced at Mina's hand before she heard her voice, “Can I hold your hand during the journey back?”

It was a bold move that took Jeongyeon off guard slightly, but she didn't miss a beat when she replied with a firm, “Yes.”

And that's how they ended up in the back of a taxi, fingers intertwined like they were meant to be there.

More glances were stolen, but neither of them dared to make the first move.

It was a silent but comfortable ride back, and as Mina reluctantly unclasped their hands and got out of the taxi, she felt the warmth disappearing like she had never felt it before. She was too scared to ask or reach for her hand back, so when Jeongyeon paid and stepped out of the vehicle - having already decided that she would pay - Mina could do nothing but stand by her side again and let their hands ghost over each other.

**[17:56]**

As they stepped into the lobby, they turned to face one another. Seungyeon watched from afar as the two bashful women waited for the other to start speaking first, which turned into an awkward tripping-over-the-other-person's-words showdown.

Seungyeon felt a smile appear on her face and a chuckle come out.

“You said your meeting your Mum tomorrow, right?”

Mina nodded and smiled, still red from their hand-holding. Jeongyeon struggled to get her next words out.

“Would you-- I mean um-- Do you-- I was thinking maybe--”

The brunette giggled warm-heartedly. “Yes?”

“Would you like to have dinner with me?”

Seungyeon froze staring at the magazine below her, Mina equally as still.

“D-Dinner? R-Really?”  _ 'Is she asking me out on a…?’ _

“Yeah, I know a really nice restaurant across the water. By an onsen…!” Mina almost choked at the mere mention of an onsen, even though she was certain that the blonde simply mentioned it in terms of location, her next words confirming. “Oh God I don't mean um...I just meant, where it is you know just...saying,” Jeongyeon coughed, so red Mina thought she would explode.

The brunette placed a hand on her shoulder and said, “I understand,” before realising, “wait, your shifts. You wouldn't be able to.”

“I should be able to work some stuff out,” she eyed her sister who gave a raised eyebrow in return before turning back to Mina, “so, what do you think?”

Mina didn't hesitate, “I'd love to.” Dropping her hand, she smiled and asked what time.

“7pm?”

“Sounds good.” A short pause. “I should let you go, get to work.”

Jeongyeon nodded and they timidly said goodbye before waving and parting ways; Mina headed up the stairs, Jeongyeon went to the office.

Once Mina was gone, Seungyeon asked, “Good day?”

It only took Jeongyeon resting her elbows on the desk and her chin in her hands, with the biggest grin on her face that she could muster for her sister to get the full story.

“Good day,” Jeongyeon simply replied, her heart and mind soaring.

In her room, Mina placed her bag on the bed and fell back. She ran her fingers over her right hand; they had held hands.

_ ‘We held hands.’ _

Mina repeated this phrase to herself over and over again, feeling over the moon.

How could so much change in one day?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twitter: @littleredbean37


	6. A Date & A Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you want to think the chaeyoung in this universe is the same as the chaeyoung in the "only in my head" universe, feel free too! i kinda wrote it with that in my mind but the two universes can also stand on their own;✌️

**[13:43]**

Knocking on the door once, twice, three times, Mina stood back and waited for a moment when her mother opened the door and greeted her with a bright smile and a warm hug.

"Mina! Hello, darling!"

"Hi, Mum," Mina replied contently. They pulled away after a tight embrace and her mother stepped to the side, inviting her daughter in.

As she closed the door, the young brunette took her bag off and searched for the blue-coloured tissue paper covering the teapot set.

Pulling it out, she showed it to her mother, "Here you are, Mum, just a little gift." The corners of her mother's lips turned up at the sight as she took the gift from her.

"Oh, Mina, you didn't have to!" They walked into the lounge and sat on opposite sofas; her mother ripped off the tissue paper that was quite haphazardly wrapped around the cardboard box and smiled widely at it. "Oh, thank you so much!"

"Just a little housewarming gift, I'm sorry I  couldn't get something for you sooner," Mina apologised, frowning lightly. The older woman glanced up from the gift and took her daughter's hand comfortingly, her eyes soft.

"It's okay, truly, thank you so much," she assured, squeezing Mina's hand gently before removing it to open the cardboard box. She took the teapot and cups out of it and smiled appreciatively. "It's wonderful…! I shall use it every day." Mina laughed lightly and grabbed the box to throw it away, her mother placing the items on the coffee table.

In the kitchen, the brunette gazed in awe; it was the first time she had seen this house.

"The house looks amazing, Mum!" she said loudly, not quite shouting. Mina's mother chuckled happily and left to join her in the kitchen; switching the kettle on, she set about making tea as the two of them discussed the decorating.

"I really like the colour, it all blends so nicely together."

"Thank your Dad for that, he helped pick it out," her mother chuckled.

There was a short pause at the mention of Mina's father. "Have you spoken to him recently?"

The older woman poured the milk before she turned to look at the brunette, "Mina, we aren't fighting. We still talk every day and we still love each other." Her mother felt a lump in her throat that she immediately swallowed. "Things are just different now."

Mina picked at her nails, "I wish they weren't," she whispered under her breath, the words ghosting over her lips. Her mother seemed to hear it loud and clear and inhaled sharply.

"I wish things could be different too, Mina, believe me." She stirred the tea and put the spoon aside; putting the milk back, she shut the fridge and regarded her daughter, who had her arms folded and was staring at the floor, dejected.

She approached her daughter and they looked at one another, sadness present in both pairs of eyes before they silently hugged once more.

They shared comforting words and a few light laughs before they pulled away and smiled at one another.

"Come on, let's have tea."

Mina's lips curled up as they both took a mug of tea and moved to sit in the lounge.

**[14:49]**

Jeongyeon left the cinema with her best friend, Chaeyoung; she ran a hand through her hair and gazed around. They started walking when  suddenly, her mind went back to yesterday.

The day out with Mina, the coffee, her being willing to help Jeongyeon out with her photography project, the constant blushing, the hand holding…

Jeongyeon's mind stopped at the hand holding.

They held hands.

 _'We held hands._ _I can't believe I asked Mina out to dinner. I can't believe she said yes.'_

As if on cue, Chaeyoung said, "I can't believe you asked her out," nudging her lightly, "she must really like you."

Jeongyeon looked to the ground shyly, "I don't know…"

Chaeyoung stopped her immediately, "You serious? How many times did you say you looked at each other?" she teased, earning a playful shove from the older woman.

Chaeyoung was only a couple of years younger, the two of them meeting in university through having similar majors, the younger girl's being art. She asked one day if she could use one of Jeongyeon's pictures as a reference; the rest is history.

"You even _held hands,_ now call me crazy, but that sounds like the absolute peak of liking someone." Jeongyeon bit the inside of her lip at the thought. "I won't be surprised if you get together for real tonight," Chaeyoung jested as she walked away. The older blonde stared at her with a shocked expression before catching up to her, nudging her again as they both laughed.

"Do you think I'm moving things along too quickly? Was asking her out a bad idea?"

Chaeyoung mulled over the question for a while before admitting she didn't know, "All I was taught, was go with your gut, and if going with your gut meant asking her out to dinner, then I guess it's not too bad of an idea. Although I will agree that you should take things slow, especially since she's leaving tomorrow."

Jeongyeon instantly felt melancholy at the reminder. She hoped it wouldn't be the last time she saw Mina.

**[18:57]**

_"I'll do three hours of your shift, as long as you promise to do three hours of mine."_

_"I'll do the first three hours of your early morning shift! Not the next one but tomorrow!"_

_"You promise?"_

_"Yes, Seungyeon!"_

Jeongyeon sighed as she waited outside the hotel for Mina, recalling how she persuaded her sister to cover three hours of her current shift.

Seungyeon was willing to do anything for her sister, but she didn't think she would be covering for a dinner date.

_"9pm at the latest! Unless you want reception to be empty."_

_"Okay, I will!"_

She prayed that Mina didn't hear their bickering from upstairs.

At that moment, she turned around and saw the brunette emerge from the hotel. She wore a pair of denim jeans with a black vest top and a sheer top of the same colour covering it, covered by a long black coat. Her hair was down and it made Jeongyeon's heart race. She looked down at her own outfit: a pair of black jeans with a black top tucked in and a red plaid shirt over it. She started to think she had underdressed, compared to Mina who saw Jeongyeon and was so in love with the casual nature of her outfit that she thought she had _over_ dressed.

"You look beautiful," was the first thing the blonde said when she saw Mina, her cheeks heating up. Mina smiled at Jeongyeon, her eyes sparkling against the light of the lamppost next to the hotel.

"As do you," she replied quietly. They stared at each other before Jeongyeon regained her senses.

"Sh-Shall we go?"

Mina was brought back by the question, "Yes, where are we going?" The blonde tapped the side of her nose with a smile before she beckoned a taxi over that was waiting in the shadows.

Opening the door, she said, "After you."

As they were on their way to the restaurant, their hands ghosted over one another. Jeongyeon bit the inside of her cheek hard as she remembered Chaeyoung's words.

_"She must really like you. That sounds like the absolute peak of liking someone. I won't be surprised if you get together for real tonight."_

The blonde knew one thing for sure: she liked Mina a _lot._

What she didn't know was the brunette beside her was thinking the exact same thing.

Mina thought about her mother's words and had carried them with her since she heard them.

_"If she feels the same way and it feels right, it will happen. Distance won't stop you."_

Mina sighed, slightly frustrated, more so at her own mind.

 _'Here you are, sitting in the back of a taxi, going out for dinner, which_ **_Jeongyeon_ ** _invited you, and you're taking no initiative. Just suck it up Mina and do something!'_

At that point, she loosely intertwined her fingers with Jeongyeon's, her eyes still looking out the window. She shut them as she waited for a grand reaction, but all she felt was the blonde's fingers close the gap and tighten her grip slightly.

Mina's eyes snapped open and she turned to face the blonde. They smiled at one another with a seemingly knowing expression.

When it came to getting out of the taxi, they didn't let go of each other's hands and instead stood closer to one another, the butterflies in their stomachs going insane.

Their hands fit together like it was the most natural thing in the world, and Mina swore she could feel a slight brush of Jeongyeon's thumb over her thumb as they stepped into the restaurant.

Mina's eyes took a tour of the interior as the blonde beside her smiled. "What do you think?" she asked quietly.

"It looks great, it's so pretty…" Her words wandered off with her eyes as she continued staring, making Jeongyeon giggle.

"Well, let's go grab a table," she suggested, and Mina nodded as she followed Jeongyeon's lead.

They sat down opposite one another, letting go of each other's hands. They each grabbed a menu and began looking, their eyes skimming over the pictures.

Jeongyeon had taken Mina to her most favourite ramen restaurant in town, one famous for making the best kind, and Mina was taken aback by the sheer amount of options.

Once they ordered their food and drinks, they replaced their menus and smiled at one another excitedly, while nerves continued to eat away at them.

Jeongyeon rested her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand; she caught Mina's eyes who mirrored her actions, their other hand reaching across the table and meeting each other.

That's when the blonde decided to let everything out, "Mina...can I confess something?" Mina hummed a "yes". "I really like you. I've liked you since the first moment we met. I think you're beautiful, and we get along _so_ well. I seriously really like you. You're funny and smart and a good listener. And I really like you."

"Y-You said that," Mina replied shyly, blushing.

"B-But it's true…!" Jeongyeon confessed, a little jittery. Mina captured her eyes and saw a thousand stars in them.

"Well... I really like you too. You're attractive and hilarious even if some of your jokes are..." Jeongyeon feigned offense before they both laughed. "But seriously, you seem like such a free spirit and I really like that about you."

Their worlds seemed to collide beautifully at that moment. A dance of heightened emotions and growing feelings that seemed to get faster and higher, their heads spinning.

Until it started breaking down at Mina's next words.

"I leave tomorrow…"

Jeongyeon almost couldn't bear to hear it. Mina couldn't bear to say it. They were ready to fall in love hard and fast and fate had to step in, in the form of a ballet school that Mina was duty bound to attend.

Jeongyeon took Mina's hands and held them across the table; staring into her eyes, she began, "That won't stop us."

Mina looked up wide-eyed at her words, more at the fact that they reflected her mother's advice. _Distance won't stop you._

"If I like you - which I do - and you like me…"

"Which I do."

"...Then... what's stopping us?" Jeongyeon remembered her best friends words and reminded herself to take things slow. "Of course, I mean, if you want to…"

"I would really like that, believe me I would." Mina sat back, not letting go of Jeongyeon's hands and said, "It's just crazy, all of this happening in one day."

"If there is a chance I can take, then I'm willing to take it," the blonde responded. They stared at one another once again.

"We should take this slowly," Mina stated, to which Jeongyeon agreed. It was simply a friendship that could evolve into a budding relationship, and they were content with each other's company. "We'll definitely stay in contact," Mina added, and Jeongyeon nodded feverishly.

After a short pause, they grabbed their phones and exchanged numbers as their dinner arrived.

Over dinner, they talked about each other, their future plans and Mina's visit to her mother.

Every so often, their hands crept across the table to meet in the middle.

They were already falling.

**[20:47]**

After spending over an hour at the restaurant before taking a slow walk back, the two women ended up in front of Mina's room. Room 107.

"I never thought I'd be taking the same woman I gave a room to the day before back to said room a day later."

They chuckled before falling silent. Gazing at one another, they pondered their words to one another.

"This weekend went by so quickly," Mina commented.

"It really did. It's crazy," Jeongyeon forced out a laugh.

"Checkout time is 12pm, right?" The blonde nodded. "My train leaves at 1pm." Mina almost scolded herself for getting such an early train, but at the same time, she didn't expect to meet and develop feelings for anyone while she was here.

The thought washed over her mind. So much had happened already. There she was at the restaurant confessing how much she liked Jeongyeon, and now she had to leave her behind. It seemed unfair. It _was_ unfair.

"Can I come with you? Say goodbye?"

Mina nodded immediately, before she suddenly wrapped her arms around Jeongyeon's neck and pulled her into a hug.

The blonde woman was taken aback by the brunette, but she quickly put her arms around Mina's waist.

The brunette whispered in her ear, "Thank you for making my weekend more fun."

Jeongyeon smiled, "No, thank you."

They pulled away and stared at one another again, before the brunette turned to unlock her door. Going inside, she spun round and waved, Jeongyeon waving too.

They exchanged goodbyes as the blonde walked away, and the brunette shut the door.

Mina pressed her back against the door and sighed happily, before biting her lip, smiling.

Jeongyeon strolled down the corridor, a wide grin on her face. 

This weekend wouldn't be the last time they saw one another. And they were more than happy with that fact.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twitter: @littleredbean37


	7. A Parting Gift & A Daydream

**[10:16]**

With fluttering eyes, teetering on the line between being asleep and awake, Mina moved around in bed and landed on her left side. Tired, she forced her eyes open and grabbed her phone off the bedside table. The screen lit up and she saw the time and a notification telling her she had missed her alarm.

“Crap…!” she muttered to herself and nearly slammed her phone down.

Rubbing her eyes, she sat up in bed and ran a hand through her hair, eyes squinting due to the light coming through the curtains.

She pulled back the covers and ambled over to the window; opening the curtains, she shut her eyes and slowly opened them again once she became accustomed to the early morning sunlight.

The brunette stepped away from the window and put her hands on her hips, considering her options. Breakfast finished fifteen minutes ago, and checkout time was at 12pm.

_‘A shower sounds great right now.’_

She walked to the bathroom and went in to brush her teeth and have her much-needed shower.

Stepping out after about twenty minutes, she dried herself off and got dressed in a pair of jeans and a navy blue top. In front of the mirror, she completed her skincare before blow-drying her hair and letting the natural waves full down over her shoulders.

Sighing, she took her things out of the bathroom and packed them in her holdall.

She had an hour and a half to kill before checkout time. Picking her phone up, she figured she would wait until she checked out to get food for the journey, but at the same time, _needed_ a coffee.

Mina put a pair of trainers on, grabbed her purse and key and left her room. She looked up at the plaque as she locked the door. _107._ She smiled to herself; this weekend away brought many surprises, or one big surprise in the form of the woman currently downstairs on reception.

The brunette wondered as she leisurely strolled down the corridor how Jeongyeon managed to capture her heart so quickly. She didn’t even know if she was in love, but she knew that she had feelings for the blonde woman.

Mina let her smile grow. She would let her feelings grow. She would let herself fall. She knew as soon as she went back home she would miss Jeongyeon. Even over the day and the evening that they spent together, she knew that she had already developed a huge crush.

She also knew that they would get to know one another more, and that they would see one another again.

The thought alone made her smile wide.

Descending the staircase, she walked into the lobby and saw Jeongyeon. They caught each other’s eyes and shyly smiled at one another.

“Good morning,” Jeongyeon grinned.

“Morning.”

“Where you off to?”

“I _need_ a coffee, is there a coffee shop near?” Mina inquired.

Jeongyeon thought about it for a second, knitting her eyebrows, before she softened them and said, “There’s one about ten minutes away, walking obviously. Just go right and continue down the street and you’ll come across it. It has a blue sign hanging out the front of it, I can’t remember the name… But you’ll smell the pastries and cakes and coffee as soon as you reach it,” she beamed.

Mina grinned and thanked the blonde woman, before she asked if Jeongyeon wanted anything. The blonde woman was hesitant, but after being reassured by the brunette that she didn’t mind, and that it was a thank you for dinner the night before, Jeongyeon settled and asked for a simple latte.

“One latte coming right up,” Mina chuckled before she said goodbye and began her journey to the coffee shop.

Once she arrived, she approached the counter and placed her order of two lattes to take away. She remembered that Jeongyeon took no sugars or sweeteners in her coffee.

After a couple of minutes of waiting, the two cups appeared on the counter in a holder and she took it gratefully with a smile before leaving.

Along the way, she passed the same small shops, one of them being a florist’s. Mina couldn’t help on the way back but stop and admire the flowers that were displayed outside the small building, all of different colours and types.

Roses, chrysanthemums, azaleas, lilies and daisies lined the front of the shop. Her eyes fell on a single white lily that stood proud among the rest, and as soon as she saw it, she thought about buying it for Jeongyeon.

_‘Would that be too much? Am I overthinking it? It’s simply a thank you gift…’_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a woman speaking, “Everything okay, dear?”

Mina glanced up and saw an elderly woman, who she assumed to be the florist by the green apron she was wearing, curiously looking at her with a soft smile and her hands clasped together.

“Uh, y-yes,” Mina stammered.

“Looking for a particular flower?”

Mina tried looking everywhere but the lily that had instantly caught her eyes to make it look like she was just browsing, when the elderly woman smiled broadly like she knew what the brunette was looking for.

The grey-haired woman found the specific lily and picked it up, catching Mina’s attention.

“Here you go, dear.”

Suddenly, Mina had a purse and a holder with two coffees in it in one hand, and a lily in the other, (her phone in her back pocket).

“Thank you very much,” the brunette responded. “Do I have to--”

“No need, dear,” the florist began, holding a hand up, “take it as a gift, as I assume it will be for someone else.” The woman smiled and Mina returned the look.

“Thank you,” the brunette lowered her voice.

“You’re welcome,” the florist whispered, and Mina walked away.

Within a few minutes, she was in front of the hotel and climbing the steps. She pushed the door open and Jeongyeon glanced in her direction briefly as she was in the middle of dealing with a customer.

Mina waited a couple of minutes for the customers to walk away from the desk before she approached it. The blonde woman noticed the lily and gazed at the brunette with bright eyes.

Mina set her purse and the coffees down on the desk before she passed the flower to Jeongyeon.

“As a thank you for dinner.”

A shy smile reached her lips and Jeongyeon, flustered, took the lily and brought it to her nose, smelling it. She smiled and said, “Thank you. I will absolutely buy a vase for this when my shift’s over.”

Delicately, she placed the lily down beside her logbook and noticed Mina take one of the coffees out to give it to her. “Also as a thank you,” a chuckle escaping the brunette’s lips.

Jeongyeon took the coffee appreciatively and took a sip, instantly realising, “Ah, you remembered.”

Mina nodded proudly and took the other coffee out, putting the holder in the nearby bin.

They stood in comfortable silence, before the brunette said that she should get ready to leave. Jeongyeon nodded and asked, “Am I still good to come with you?”

“Yes, of course,” Mina replied. “I’ll find something to pass the time, come down, check out then wait for you,” she explained with a grin.

The blonde nodded once again, sipping on her coffee slowly.

She stared down at the lily, and couldn’t help but bite her lip.

 _‘She got me a flower… She got me a flower… She got me a_ **_flower….’_ **

Jeongyeon could hardly believe it.

**[12:02]**

In the lobby, Mina waited for Jeongyeon to change out of her uniform once again, having checked out ten minutes prior.

The weekend had definitely gone by too quickly for the both of them, and it was also too short of a trip for Mina. She wished deep down she could extend her stay, but then remembered her ballet school.

After a few minutes, Jeongyeon stepped out of the office and passed her sister; she moved to meet Mina who stood up and smiled.

“Shall we go?” Jeongyeon asked, the brunette nodding in return. As they left, the blonde continued, “Oh, by the way, I asked Seungyeon to buy a vase for me while I was still here. It’s living in the office for the time being, but I will definitely be taking it home after you go.”

Mina blushed and looked at the ground as she walked.

The train station was a twenty minute walk away, and on their slow walk they talked about mundane things, funny things, and told each other a few jokes.

Mina was carrying the holdall with two hands; Jeongyeon offered to take it from her but the brunette said she was okay.

As they entered the train station, the two of them sighed simultaneously, laughing when they noticed. Mina rested her holdall on the floor before turning to Jeongyeon, “I’m gonna go into that shop and buy some food, could you wait here with my things, please?”

The blonde gladly obliged and waited for a while for Mina to return with a bento box, a bottle of water and some snacks in a bag.

“All set?” Mina nodded in response.

They looked at the giant board in the centre of the train station and Mina saw her train.

_13:00 to Kyoto_

“There it is,” she muttered. She stared at the time, _12:33._ “Got a half an hour wait.”

Jeongyeon poked her tongue into her cheek before she caught Mina staring. They gazed at one another before the blonde asked, “What do you want to do?”  
Mina thought about it, “Let’s just sit and chill for a while.”

The blonde agreed and they found a bench closeby to sit down and talk.

They continued small talk that seemed natural, like they had known each other for many years. Their words ran away with them sometimes as they spoke randomly about everything and nothing.

Until a voice came over the tannoy, _“Boarding is now open for the 13:00 train to Kyoto. Boarding is now open for the 13:00 train to Kyoto, thank you.”_

Their conversation stopped dead and they both looked at one another, a touch of sadness in their eyes. Standing up at the same time, they gazed at one another.

“It’s time for you to go, I guess,” Jeongyeon spoke.

“I guess so.” There was a short pause. “We’ll keep in contact, right?”

“Absolutely! As promised,” the blonde woman replied, a warm smile on her face.

There was a few seconds of awkwardness between them, before they came together in a hug, the same hug that they shared the night before.

“I’ll really miss you, even though it’s been three days.”

Jeongyeon couldn’t help but chuckle at the honest statement, before admitting that she would miss Mina too.

They pulled away from one another, and shared a final smile before the brunette picked up her belongings and waved goodbye. Jeongyeon waved back as she witnessed Mina walk away and go up to the barriers.

She passed through the luggage barrier and turned around again. The two of them smiled at one another and gave a final wave before Mina turned her back for the last time and walked up to board the train.

Jeongyeon stood still for a few minutes, glancing up at the ceiling. She sat back down on the bench for a while, then felt her phone buzz.

**_Mina_ **

**_On the train! Can I message you when I get home?_ **

Jeongyeon smiled widely at the picture attached of the beautiful brunette smiling lightly.

**_Of course! Enjoy your journey!_ **

**_Mina_ **

**_Enjoy your break - eat lots of food! Speak to you soon;_ **

Jeongyeon’s heart did backflips. She couldn’t lie to herself any longer. She was in love with Mina.

**_I will! Don’t forget to eat yourself;;_ **

Mina simply sent an emoticon of a smile in return, making the blonde’s heart swoon.

She let the weekend’s events wash over her mind as she left the train station and back to the hotel to pick up the vase. Taking it home, she placed it on the end table in her bedroom and sat down to admire it.

Falling back onto the bed, she smiled to herself and rested her eyes. Mina’s face came to her mind.

Meanwhile, on the train, Mina rested her elbow on the sill and stared out of the window.

She let her eyes close and Jeongyeon’s face came to mind.

 

They continued daydreaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twitter: @littleredbean37


	8. Best Friends Are There to Talk & Tease

**[15:16]**

After a two-hour long journey, and a ten-minute taxi ride home, Mina almost fell through the door, exhausted from carrying her holdall up three flights of stairs to her apartment. She fell onto her sofa and crossed her arms above her head. Exhaling, she grabbed her bag and took out her phone to message Jeongyeon, as promised.

**_I’m finally home! Tired;;_ **

The brunette placed her phone beside her and huffed, unwilling to get up to unpack her bag. After a couple of minutes, her phone vibrated beside her.

**_Jeongyeon_ **

**_Did you not sleep on the train??_ **

Mina smiled at her screen.

**_I didn’t need to, but it’s from carrying my bags up three flights of stairs…_ **

**_Jeongyeon_ **

**_Oh crap.... That sucks;;_ **

**_Tell me about it;_ **

They continued messaging each other for a few minutes before the brunette decided she should unpack her luggage. She threw her phone to the side and stood up, stretching. She sauntered over to her holdall and picked it up, groaning slightly. Her phone buzzed again, but she ignored it, and carried her luggage to her bedroom to start unpacking.

After fifteen minutes of hanging up clothes, replacing her shower things and putting her holdall back, she walked back into her lounge and sat down on the sofa to check the message she received.

**_Momoring~~_ **

**_You back yet? We missed youuu~_ **

_‘Ah, Momo...I haven’t messaged her all weekend! Or Sana come to think of it.’_

She pressed the ‘contacts’ icon and found her best friend, Momo’s name in the list before selecting it and placing the phone to her ear. After a few rings, she heard a gasp and then Momo’s voice, _“Minari!”_

“Momoring...how are you?”

 _“I’m good! Hold on, let me get Sana.”_ Mina heard Momo call her girlfriend, who was also Mina’s best friend, over and she placed the phone on speaker. _“You didn’t message us all weekend, we were worried,_ ” Momo replied, a slight lilt of concern in her voice. Mina apologised and explained her situation.

“Wait...you met someone?” Sana asked.

Mina giggled at the reminder, “Yes…”

Momo gasped again, _“Oh my God, who?_ **_Who?”_ **

They continued talking for a while about Jeongyeon and what they did over the weekend.

 _“You didn’t even mention us to her?”_ Sana inquired.

Mina thought about it, “No I...I guess I didn’t. The weekend went by so quickly and her shifts meant we didn’t spend much time together so…”

Momo sighed, _“Anyway, when can we meet her?”_ Mina was taken aback by the question. She hadn’t considered the possibility of them ever meeting, but was suddenly faced with the fact that they could very well meet one day.

“I’m not sure at the moment, as I said, she works at the hotel all the time. It would be really hard for her to get some time off to come down. That’s if...she even wanted to,” Mina let out a nervous laugh.

 _“From the sounds of it she’s head over heels in love with you already!”_ Sana teased, earning a chuckle from Momo and a _don’t be ridiculous_ from Mina.

 _“Oh come on, she invites you out for coffee on your first day there and then out to dinner the next day, and_ **_then_ ** _walks you to the train station to say goodbye and you’re telling me she_ **_doesn’t_ ** _have feelings for you?”_ Momo asked in disbelief.

Mina bit her bottom lip as she thought about it. She didn’t have the chance to answer before Momo continued, _“And as your best friends, who know everything about you, we can tell that you seriously like her too!"_

The brunette gasped and giggled lightly, "Maybe I do…"

Momo and Sana laughed as they carried on talking and teasing Mina about her crush for twenty minutes. They promised to meet up for lunch at some point and bid each other goodbye before hanging up the phone.

Mina sighed as she rested the phone in her lap; she leaned back and stared at the ceiling.

As much as she loved and trusted her best friends, she was nervous.

_‘What will they think of Jeongyeon? What will Jeongyeon think of them? Crap, I should probably tell her about them… Now or later?'_

Deciding sooner is better than later, she picked up her phone again to message the blonde woman.

**[16:09]**

Jeongyeon scrolled through the messages she was sent from Mina about her best friends as she sat in her flat, Chaeyoung sat on the floor in front of her.

"Come to think of it, I didn't tell her about you either," she recounted in disbelief, shocked at herself.

She heard Chaeyoung snort, "Nope, you did _not._  Guess you were too caught up in your lovey-dovey dates."

Jeongyeon nudged the younger girl who snickered in response, "They weren't _dates_ per se…"

"Not dates? You must be joking," Chaeyoung laughed, "Come on, Jeong, just admit it. You're head over heels in love with Ms. Myoui Mina."

Jeongyeon bit her lip and played with her phone nervously. Shutting her eyes, she admitted defeat, "Fine...I have...pretty strong feelings for her…"

"There it is! Jeongyeon's got it bad!"

The blonde woman playfully shoved the younger girl again before getting up and walking to the window. "Is it too much to want to go and visit her? Or hope that she comes back?"

Chaeyoung turned to sit on her left side, resting her elbow on the couch, "I don't think so. If you really like her and she likes you back, I'm guessing she wouldn't mind you visiting her. But don't forget, you work at the hotel 12/7, and Seungyeon won't really be happy taking the other half on."

Jeongyeon sighed at the reminder. Her sister, while supportive, wasn't too pleased with having to take just three extra hours on. Also, working 24/7 is too much for any person; Jeongyeon couldn't do that to her sister.

"Didn't you say Mina went to ballet school?"

Jeongyeon hummed affirmatively, "She's there every weekday. I guess she was only able to come so early Friday because she got that weekend off."

Chaeyoung nodded in response and pouted contemplatively.

"Three days, Chae. How could something so...magical happen in three days?"

The younger rolled her eyes, quietly chuckling at the older woman's words. "Easter's coming up soon. If Mina gets some time off, ask her to come back down then. Ask her to bring her friends along too!"

Jeongyeon stared out of the window, her eyes lighting up and a smile appearing on her face at Chaeyoung's idea.

_'What a perfect plan.'_


	9. An Easter Promise & A Change of Plans

**TWO WEEKS LATER**

**[08:34]**

Mina opened her locker in the changing rooms and pulled out her pair of pointe shoes. Class started at 09:00, but she always preferred to be early so she could prepare herself for the sometimes grueling day ahead.

No matter how many times she got blisters on her feet, or sore toes or twisted her ankle (which in the five years she had been there had happened an unsurprising amount of times), she knew she would never give up ballet. It was something she was proud of, something that not only kept her moving, but kept her going.

Dance was always a way for the brunette to express herself, so she took every opportunity in the morning to practise any upcoming recitals or come up with choreography herself before class officially started.

Hair tied up firmly in a bun, she placed her bag inside the locker. Before she could shut it, she heard her phone vibrate in the bag.

Taking it out, she looked at the screen and saw it was Jeongyeon calling.

The past two weeks for their friendship had been nothing but crazy, exciting and sometimes completely nerve-wracking, mostly due to the relatively new knowledge that each woman gained about the other's best friends.

But they had become closer, sharing more about their lives and their childhoods. Each person asking more questions, their conversations often lasting until 03:00 when Mina would say she needed to sleep because she had class the next day.

It was a whirlwind of different emotions and feelings that swept over Mina all at once, and it was the morning after one particularly deep conversation she had with Jeongyeon about something not too deep to begin with that she realised she was falling faster in love.

The brunette was anxious to take the plunge, and she could sense that Jeongyeon was too; the way they shyly dodged the topic every time it was about to pop up spoke volumes.

Before Mina could answer the phone, however, she heard a woman's voice call her name. Recognising it to be her teacher, she sadly shut her eyes before waiting a while for it to go to voicemail. She didn't want Jeongyeon to think she was willingly rejecting any chance to talk to her, especially since her schedules and Jeongyeon's shifts meant they didn't have many opportunities to chat, but she felt terrible not answering at all.

Her teacher called her name again, to which she replied, "Be there in a second." Mina placed her phone back in her bag and shut her locker. Her mind began racing with what her teacher could possibly want to talk to her about.

She turned to face the middle-aged woman with a smile that was returned.

"How are you, dear?"

"Very well, thank you, Miss. How are you?"

"I'm doing just fine," she replied with a smile as the brunette came closer. They began walking shoulder to shoulder, talking about trivial things and about the refurbishment plans for the building. It wasn't a bad looking school, but the interior was getting a bit tired, and it needed a spring clean too. They were excited to welcome this change, but that didn't stop it from being stressful.

As they reached the teacher's office, they stopped outside the door and turned to one another, "The reason I wanted to talk to you was because the local youth centre has invited us to perform a short recital for the teenagers there. We wanted to send a group of our best dancers and you absolutely fit the bill," the woman explained. Mina blushed at the compliment.

"When is the recital?" The teacher wore a slightly awkward expression on her face before stating that it was in two weeks time, on Easter Sunday. The brunette's eyes widened, "That's a little short notice. We usually practise and rehearse a lot longer than that."

"I know…" the older woman replied with a sigh, "but the only time they can have us perform is Easter. We will need to rehearse plenty of times and down to the wire. I'm so sorry it's had to come at such a time."

Mina softly brushed it off with a tiny smile before sighing. "So I guess we start today?"

The teacher nodded with a wide smile before sending the brunette off to Studio A where the others were already waiting.

**[12:32]**

Another morning shift had come and gone, and Jeongyeon was of the belief that they had been going by a lot faster, despite how quiet it was some mornings.

Monday mornings were usually the least busiest day, so Jeongyeon took the opportunity to call Mina before her ballet class began to see how she was, but it had gone to voicemail.

The blonde had been waiting for the right time to invite the brunette to the hotel again over the Easter weekend. It may have been bad timing to phone during a shift, but Jeongyeon didn't care. She had decided that today was going to be the day, and was so excited to ask that hearing the phone go to voicemail had hurt a little bit.

Jeongyeon couldn't complain though. She knew that Mina almost always started ballet class a little early.

The sun was at its highest in the sky, the light breeze making some of the cherry blossoms fly off the trees and dance in the air as Jeongyeon opened the door to the café she took Mina to two weeks ago. Walking up to the counter, she ordered an iced coffee along with her lunch before going to sit down at the same table.

The blonde tapped her fingers on the tabletop as she remembered the time that she went there with Mina. A smile appeared on her face at the memory, and just as her lunch was being brought over, she heard her phone buzz.

She thanked the waiter then pulled out her phone to see Mina's caller ID.

Without hesitation she picked up, "Mina!"

_ "Hey,"  _ Mina greeted with a chuckle,  _ "I'm so sorry I didn't answer earlier. My teacher called me over before I even had a chance to pick up the phone." _

"No worries," Jeongyeon replied, smiling, "how are you?"

They continued talking for what felt like hours until their conversation died down; Jeongyeon then took the opportunity to ask.

"So…" There was a short pause and a hum from the other end. "I was wondering...if you would like to come back down over the Easter weekend?" Jeongyeon beamed.

After a couple of seconds, there was a small, apologetic sigh.

_ "Jeongyeon I…" _

"And you could bring your best friends along too!"

Mina was quiet for a couple of seconds before she spoke,  _ "Jeongyeon, I would love to but...I've got a recital scheduled for that Easter Sunday." _ Jeongyeon felt her heart slowly be crushed. She tried to alleviate the feeling by proposing that she come for just the Friday and Saturday.  _ "My teacher has said I have to rehearse every single day, since we usually have longer to practise for recitals and this has come at such short notice. I just found out today, I promise." _

It wasn't that Jeongyeon  _ didn't  _ believe her, she just couldn't help but feel like she would never see Mina again.

_ 'Maybe it was just a chance meeting. Maybe we weren't destined to cross paths again. Maybe I shouldn't…' _

_ "You could come and see me?" _

Jeongyeon nearly scoffed at the idea, unable to figure out how it would even be possible. The brunette lived two hours away by train, and even if she could travel to where Mina lived, weren't recitals typically evening affairs?

As if answering the blonde woman's thoughts, Mina explained that it was at a youth centre at 3pm, and that if Jeongyeon left in enough time, she could come and see Mina perform.

Jeongyeon's heart that had once been crushed slowly began to take form again, and was only getting fuller. She bit her bottom lip.

"I would love to."

She couldn't see but could tell that the brunette was wearing the brightest smile she could ever possibly manage. Before they bid one another goodbye, Mina said one last thing.

_ "Since you mentioned me bringing  _ **_my_ ** _ best friends...why don't you bring Chaeyoung along?" _

Jeongyeon considered her best friend's lecture times before realising that she would probably drop everything at the chance. "That would be awesome."

And as it turned out, Jeongyeon was right.


	10. An Easter Sunday Surprise

**THREE DAYS LATER**

**[13:49]**

"Seungyeon?"

The older woman hummed as she flicked through the logbook, waiting for her younger sister to say what she had clearly been wanting to say for the past three days but had always told her to forget about. Seungyeon half-expected the blonde to do the same again, when she finally blurted it out.

"I want to go to Kyoto on Easter Sunday."

The brown-haired woman pushed a few strands behind her ear before turning to Jeongyeon and asking her to repeat what she'd said. When the blonde did, Seungyeon looked at her with an almost blank expression on her face and a raised eyebrow, "Kyoto?" Jeongyeon nodded. "On Easter Sunday." She nodded again. "For what reason?"

The younger woman shyly looked down at her feet, "To see Mina."

Seungyeon thought about it for a second, tapping her chin, "Mina...Mina...Mina...ah! Mina! The girl you've been talking about for the past two weeks or so," she teased, before chuckling and turning back to the logbook, earning a nudge from Jeongyeon.

"Look, she invited me to go and see her perform at a youth centre and I feel like with the way my shifts are and her ballet classes this is the only chance I'll get to see her again for a long time."

"It's not even been that long since you  _ met  _ her," Seungyeon replied. She closed the book and turned to view Jeongyeon, "Are you and Mina...together?"

"N-No…! I mean...we said we'd take things slow. But we  _ do  _ like each other. At least, I  _ think  _ she feels the same way…"

"You still having doubts?"

"Not  _ doubts,  _ really. I just don't know if she wants to continue things further in a romantic sense…" Her mind went back to when they went out to dinner.

_ I really like you too. You're attractive and hilarious. _

_ 'Mina really said that about...me?' _

It had never truly registered in Jeongyeon's mind that Mina had said that she was attractive. And hilarious. And that she  _ really  _ liked her too.  _ 'What am I doing? We both know our feelings. Why do we keep dodging the topic?' _

"You know what I think?" Jeongyeon shook her head of her thoughts to listen to her sister as she continued, "I think you should be honest with her, and honest with yourself." The blonde lifted an eyebrow and waited for her to continue. Seungyeon rolled her eyes,  _ "Talk  _ to her! Lay all your feelings out and...give it a shot! And, I know," she placed a reassuring hand on Jeongyeon's shoulder, "a long distance relationship would suck. But, considering you both - I can almost  _ guarantee  _ \- feel the same way about one another, why not give the relationship a go? Yes, I know I said earlier that it hadn't been long since you two met but, who knows? If you continue to take it slow, it might turn out to be a really great relationship. If not, then you can at least say you took that risk and that chance."

Jeongyeon considered her sister's words for a short while as the older woman took her hand off to deal with a customer. Once the couple had taken their key and their luggage and had gone up to their room, the blonde woman said, "I just remembered how busy this place gets on an Easter weekend. Are you sure you'd be okay with me going?" Jeongyeon suddenly looked fearful and apologetic. Seungyeon turned and reassured her out of nowhere that she was going to interview someone who had applied for a receptionist job at the hotel. "You didn't tell me?"

The older woman explained how she had been looking for another receptionist for a while and that it had just so happened to come at the perfect time. She also said that once she had hired her, she would change the shifts around so that it would give Jeongyeon more time on Easter Sunday to travel and see Mina before her performance.

Jeongyeon wanted to hug her sister so tightly, but refrained from doing so as the same couple from earlier came down the stairs. All she did was beam a  _ thank you  _ at Seungyeon before turning and going back into the office.

The blonde contemplated telling Mina the good news, but decided against it. This was going to be a surprise.

 

**EASTER SUNDAY**

**[02:37]**

"So I was doing pirouettes, and I was only meant to do eight of them at once, but I ended up doing more than I should've done before I lost my balance and fell on my ass like an idiot!"

Mina heard laughter from the other end of the phone as she ran a hand through her hair, a chuckle escaping her own lips at the memory.

_ "I'm sorry for laughing,"  _ Jeongyeon began, trying to calm down,  _ "that sounds painful!" _

"Extremely! I was going at top speed and it was probably my fifth attempt at doing them, and I was okay, up until that point where I just...fell over…" The brunette laughed again as she told the embarrassing tales of her first year as a dancer at the age of five.

The past couple of weeks of their friendship mainly consisted of more deep conversations at 2am and random pictures of food, themselves and themselves  _ with _ food. Mina had somehow fallen harder for the blonde woman's jokes and her intelligent mind and the way she spoke her opinions so freely while still keeping a level head about everything.

And it was already the day of her recital. The day that Jeongyeon was supposed to be visiting. Mina had asked the blonde upon answering the phone if she was definitely still coming, to which she replied that she  _ wouldn't miss it for the world. _

Once their laughter had trailed off, Jeongyeon took the opportunity to ask Mina where she would be before the recital, the brunette saying that she would be at the school. The blonde asked where the studio was, a suspicious Mina answering before inquiring why the blonde wanted to know.

_ "Just curious," _ Jeongyeon replied, not wanting to give a single hint of her plan to visit Mina earlier than planned. The younger woman hummed on the other end, Jeongyeon mimicking her hum, making the brunette giggle.

Mina quickly took her phone away from her ear to glance at the time. Seeing it was nearing quarter to three, she placed the phone to her ear and whispered, "I should probably go."

Mina could hear a yawn as Jeongyeon replied,  _ "Good idea. You need to sleep so you can feel fresh for tomorrow's recital, which I'm  _ **_really_ ** _ excited about by the way. You're gonna be amazing." _

Mina smiled at her words of encouragement, and bit the inside of her lip. "I wish you could stay longer," she confessed.

Jeongyeon's heart started beating incredibly fast; she wanted to tell the brunette her plans but knew she couldn't, so she settled for replying with, "So do I." It was still genuine, as both of them knew that a even a day wouldn't be long enough; it had been just over a month since they last saw one another.

Mina suddenly considered what her best friends had been telling her recently.

_ You clearly like her a  _ **_lot,_ ** _ why not give long distance a go?  _ Momo had said.

_ If you two truly like each other, which it seems to us you do by what you tell us, then it wouldn't hurt to try,  _ Sana had said.

The truth was, that's all the brunette ever wanted. Once she realised that she wouldn't mind calling Jeongyeon her  _ girlfriend,  _ and she wouldn't mind an extra three words being said at the end of their early morning phone calls, Mina knew that she wanted to be with the blonde woman.

She then reminded herself of how they promised each other to take it slow.  _ 'How slow will we possibly take it?' _

It was a strange new emotion for Mina, but she couldn't help but think about how her hand fit in Jeongyeon's hand so perfectly. How her arms found their way around the brunette's waist as they hugged before parting ways at the station. It led Mina to think about how her lips would feel pressed against hers…

_ "Mina?" _

The brunette was brought out of her daydream by the sound of Jeongyeon's voice. She quickly apologised for the brief silence before they decided it was time to sleep and bid each other goodnight.

Mina placed her phone on the bedside table and turned to lay on her left side. Cheek pressed firmly into the pillow, her bed felt emptier suddenly.

_ 'Why do I wish she was here?' _

Mina brushed off the stupid sounding question before she shut her eyes and fell asleep, a smile plastered on her face.

_ 'Because you're in love with her, you dork.' _

 

**[10:28]**

Jeongyeon rested her head against the window of the train as she waited for it to leave. Her head was spinning; she couldn't wait to see Mina again.

She had only been to Kyoto a handful of times, and not one of those times had she met or even bumped into Mina in the street. Jeongyeon wondered if it was all just a dream sometimes.

Then she snapped out of it. This was real life. Mina was real. Their friendship was real. The prospect of them being in a relationship was real. It was just the sensation of it all that felt surreal.

After impatiently waiting for some time, the train finally began moving. Jeongyeon took a deep breath in. Chaeyoung sat beside her, and as it started moving she turned to look at the blonde woman, "Let's go and see Mina!" Jeongyeon smiled in response, but was terribly nervous inside.

_ 'Off to Kyoto I go.' _

**[12:44]**

Mina sat down on the floor of one of the many studios at her school to stretch out her legs and arms as part of her warm-up. Taking deep breaths in and out, she tried to filter out nervousness as she stood up and touched her toes.

As she straightened her back, her teacher entered the room and walked up to her, "How are we doing, Mina?"

The brunette nodded, "All good, just going to run through the number a couple more times so I can really perfect it."

The teacher smiled widely, "You're going to be outstanding, Mina, I just know it."

Mina mirrored the smile before she got into her starting position, her teacher walking over to where the speakers were. She checked to see that Mina was ready before she pressed the  _ play  _ button on the phone screen.  _ Swan Lake  _ began playing through the speakers and the brunette began to move effortlessly across the floor, her kicks and turns and her pirouettes and jetés so clean as they cut through the air with such grace.

She continued dancing and the teacher observed with a proud smile on her face.

Downstairs, Jeongyeon was in the foyer after having arrived in Kyoto fifteen minutes prior and making her way to the ballet school immediately. She held a small bouquet of lilies in one hand.

She told Chaeyoung to wait in the lobby and approached a young woman wearing a pair of leggings and a forest green top; she asked if she would know where Mina would be, to which she replied that she was most likely in Studio A practising. A warm smile crossed the blonde woman's face as she thanked the young woman and made her way to said studio.

Inside the studio, Mina was nearing the end of the dance, and didn't miss a beat as she began the end part of the routine.

Completing one, two, three arabesques in time with the music, she moved around in a fall circle before slowly descended to the floor, right leg bent and left leg extended out to the side. She spread her wings similar to a swan and turned her head to the left when in her peripheral view, she saw her.

As her teacher clapped, Mina's eyes widened at the broad smile that she saw through the window on the door to the studio, and she stood up immediately as Jeongyeon opened it and entered.

In an instant, her eyes became fixated on the bouquet of lilies in her hand.

The teacher stopped clapping and observed the scene.

"Surprise!" was all Jeongyeon could say before Mina ran up to her and wrapped her arms around the blonde woman's neck.

"I didn't expect you to be here so early! Your shift!"

Jeongyeon smiled into her shoulder before lifting her head and saying, "I'll explain later."

They pulled away from one another and stared into each other's eyes. Jeongyeon's eyes then flickered to Mina's lips.

The desire to was growing, but Jeongyeon stopped herself. And so did Mina.

_ 'After the performance,'  _ they seemed to simultaneously think.

Jeongyeon however did place a beautiful bouquet of lilies in Mina's hand, which the brunette gladly accepted.


	11. A Good Day Turned Bad, Turned Good Again

**[14:36]**

It was less than half an hour until the recital when Mina remembered that there were still two people that Jeongyeon had to meet. She herself had already met Chaeyoung when the blonde woman surprised her at the studio a couple of hours prior, something she explained was only possible because of her sister hiring another person at, coincidentally, the right time.

Mina and Chaeyoung already got along so well, and the brunette found the young art student funny and likeable.

The brunette waited for Sana and Momo to arrive in the small room they were using as a dressing room. She checked her phone every two seconds and paced back and forth.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door before her two best friends walked in with bright smiles on their faces. "Minari!" Momo called out, Sana behind her following suit.

"You finally came!" Mina replied, stepping forward to give both of them a hug.

"Yeah, we're sorry about that. Traffic was a little slow," Sana explained. The brunette nodded in understanding before the blonde continued, "Is she here?"

"Ah, yes! Jeongyeon, isn't it? Where is she?" Momo asked.

Mina pulled out her phone and pressed a few buttons before saying that she had just messaged Jeongyeon to join them in the dressing room.

They waited excitedly but patiently until there was a faint knock at the door. "Come in!" Mina called out.

The door opened to reveal a smiling Jeongyeon, who saw the two new faces and was instantly nervous. She took a step into the room and closed the door as Mina introduced her friends to the blonde.

"Jeongyeon, this is Momo, and this is Sana," she said, indicating each person as they bowed slightly and held out their hands to shake Jeongyeon's hand.

They greeted each other with "hi"s and "hello"s and the four of them began talking about Jeongyeon, about Mina, about Momo and Sana's relationship and then Jeongyeon _and_ Mina, something which made the two of them blush.

Once the two women got onto the actual topic of _being_ in a relationship, Mina instantly rushed them out of the door against confused protests before shutting it and turning to the blonde.

"I'm _so_ sorry about them. They don't know when to," she mimicked the noise of a zip as she "zipped up" her mouth.

Jeongyeon let out a faint chuckle, the blush rising in her cheeks, but at the same time, she knew she wanted to talk to Mina about their feelings at some point.

She pushed it aside in favour of telling the brunette that she should start getting ready soon, making a wide-eyed Mina suddenly say, "Oh God, the recital's in about twenty minutes! Crap, thanks for reminding me."

"No problem…!" Jeongyeon laughed as Mina rushed past her to get her makeup done. The blonde looked around slightly awkwardly before saying, "I should...go and let you, um...get ready…"

Mina regarded her with the same level of awkwardness, "Oh um, right yeah, I'll uh...see you in a bit." The brunette was planning to ask her out to dinner, but decided to wait until after the performance.

They gave each other a shy smile before Jeongyeon left and Mina sat down in front of the mirror.

Mina's makeup artist friend chuckled and shook her head lightly. "What?" the brunette asked, a confused look on her face, making her friend chuckle harder.

"Ah, you _do_ make me laugh, Mina. Why don't you two just bite the bullet and get together already?"

The butterflies in the brunette's stomach would not stop flying like crazy at the question. But she bit her lip hard and shut her eyes tight, "Because long distance is shitty."

"But, if you really like each other and you're willing to push through, the long distance will become...shorter. Eventually."

Mina's eyes opened at the optimism. The thought of their long distance relationship not being long distance forever sparked a new rush of determination in the brunette.

"So, what do you suggest?" she quietly asked.

"You wanna take her out to dinner tonight right?" Mina nodded. "Well...do a repeat of what you told me had happened the first time you went to dinner, except this time, let the night end in you two becoming a couple. I'm sure it's something that Jeongyeon would want too."

Mina considered it as memories of their first dinner together came back to her.

_I really like you. I've liked you since the first moment we met. I think you're beautiful, and we get along so well. I seriously really like you. You're funny and smart and a good listener. And I really like you._

It hadn't really got through to the brunette that Jeongyeon had said all of that about her. Maybe she just couldn't believe that someone could really feel that way about her.

Her friend noticed that she had gone quiet out of the blue, so continued, "You're definitely going in the right direction taking it slow. If you feel like it's worth the risk, then go for it."

Mina then went into a full five-minute speech about their friendship. How much it grew. How much Jeongyeon cared. How funny she was. How on the odd couple of occasions when Mina needed a shoulder to cry on, Jeongyeon would be there over the phone calming her down.

How she thought the night before that she wouldn't mind _I love you_ spilling from her lips at the end of each phone call.

Mina felt silly.

Out of nowhere, she said, "Tonight. We'll talk tonight."

"Good, I'm glad. And I hope things work out for you," her friend said with a smile.

Mina bit the inside of her cheek. She hoped deep down inside that it wasn't all going to be for nothing.

**[15:58]**

The recital was over and everyone in the youth centre was on their feet, including Jeongyeon, Chaeyoung, Momo and Sana.

Mina stood in the centre beside another girl as ten of them stood in a line to bow. They bowed a few times as cheers could be heard, and as soon as Mina lifted her head, her eyes connected with the blonde's, who gave her nothing but a bright, proud smile.

Mina then left the stage and spent fifteen minutes in the dressing room, getting changed and removing her makeup while her two best friends, her potential girlfriend, and her newest friend stood outside waiting.

While they waited, Momo and Sana talked with Chaeyoung more, their interest in her art degree leading to more questions being asked. Jeongyeon chuckled at the sight as she saw a bare-faced, casually dressed Mina leave the dressing room, her long hair tied up in a ponytail, identical to how she had done her hair the first day they met.

The blonde thought her heart was going to explode.

Mina lifted her head and smiled at Jeongyeon as she approached the four of them, the three in deep conversation cutting of their chat to greet her.

"You were amazing!" Sana gushed.

"You were awesome, Mina. That solo you did?" Chaeyoung held up an "ok" sign to show her approval, making Mina giggle, a sound that was music to Jeongyeon's ears.

"Incredible as always, girl," Momo said and Mina thanked all three of them.

All eyes turned to the blonde as she blinked a few times and looked at the beautiful woman in front of her.

"You were…" Jeongyeon tried to think of the right word. "Phenomenal. Just phenomenal." Mina's heart raced as she stared at Jeongyeon, the tone of her voice laced with so much sincerity.

The other three decided to move away and give them space, continuing to talk about Chaeyoung's art degree as they wouldn't let her shut up about it.

The two women left behind stepped closer to one another at the same time, and like it was the natural second step, linked hands.

The two of them weren't even together, yet they already felt each other's warmth as they walked side by side. They gave each other a knowing look before the blonde called out to three women in front of them, "We're gonna take a walk if that's okay."

Momo looked back and immediately saw the clasped hands before tapping the two women either side of her, causing them to turn around too. They also tried to suppress a smile as Momo spoke, "That's... absolutely fine. Take your time." All three turned back round and started giggling loudly as Mina tugged on Jeongyeon's hand to pull her away.

Twenty minutes later, they ended up at a park.

The fields were a light green and many trees adorned the grass. In the centre was a huge lake with ducks and a couple of swans swimming on the surface.

There were benches and many parents were out with their kids, with various types of tents pitched and bubbles in the air left, right and center.

The two of them smiled at the sight as they took a seat on one of the free benches. Fingers still intertwined, they gazed at one another for a few seconds before Mina took a breath of fresh air and said, "This is nice."

Jeongyeon hummed, "Yeah, it is," as she looked at the lake in front of her. Mina smiled at her side profile and took in all of the woman's features.

She felt a need to rest her head on the blonde woman's shoulder, so she did just that.

Jeongyeon felt this and immediately bit her lip, but quickly felt comfortable at the feeling, and Mina felt quite content with simply staying there.

They relaxed against the back of the bench, and after a short while, Mina said, "I wanna take you out to dinner."

Jeongyeon was instantly brought back to reality and quickly checked her phone that was in the bag on her left shoulder.

**[16:41]**

The blonde woman's face fell as she looked at the time, but then a sense of urgency hit her.

Her train left in twenty minutes.

And by taxi it was going to take her that exact amount of time.

She was never going to make it.

_'God damnit!'_

"Um, Mina…"

The brunette grew worried. She sat up, "What is it?"

That's when she got a call from Chaeyoung.

Instantly picking it up, the voice at the other end said, _"You_ **_are_ ** _aware our train leaves soon, right? Where_ **_are_ ** _you, anyway?"_

"Chaeyoung…"

_"Look, I understand that you really want to spend time with Mina. I do, I get that, but your sister won't be happy. She already allowed you one hour over just to get back."_

The blonde woman's eyes shut again at the words. Yet again, she was reminded that as much as Seungyeon was her sister, she had a business to run.

A business of which Jeongyeon was an employee.

Jeongyeon felt defeated. "Chae, I genuinely forgot, it just slipped out of my mind. I'm really sorry."

A sigh came from the other end of the phone, _"Well, are you able to get here?"_

"At this rate, no."

Another sigh. _"Right, I'll call Seungyeon, explain the situation, just try and grab the next train. Chaeyoung out."_ A beep could be heard before the older woman could even say anything. She groaned and put her phone back in her back, a puzzled Mina sat beside her.

"Is everything okay?"

Jeongyeon covered her face with her hands, "No," she spoke into them, her voice muffled by her palms. She took her hands away and looked straight at Mina. "I completely forgot my train leaves at 5pm and now I'm never gonna make it." The brunette looked towards the floor guiltily. "It's not your fault," Jeongyeon rested a hand on her back, "I should've remembered."

Mina then looked up at her. "It's Easter Sunday, Jeongyeon."

It then hit the blonde woman like a ton of bricks. Of _course_ it's Easter Sunday. The likelihood of getting another train from Kyoto to home was...zero.

She had her opportunity to _not_ annoy her sister further, and it passed her by.

Seungyeon had already sacrificed quite a bit for Jeongyeon to be able to see Mina today.

She didn't know how she was going to make it up to Seungyeon, but she was willing to try.

With a weak chuckle and a scared look on her face, Jeongyeon ran a hand through her hair and said, "Guess I'm here for the night, huh?"

It wasn't that she _didn't_ want to stay. In fact, staying was the one thing she _did_ want to do.

But making her sister angry was definitely the one thing she _didn't_ want to do.

Mina tried to feel happy about the news but remembered that Jeongyeon had priorities. A job to go back to. A sister who wouldn't be content with it. Deep inside, she felt responsible. She had _also_ forgotten that Jeongyeon was meant to go back at some point.

That's when they both heard Jeongyeon's phone buzz.

The blonde pulled it out, regret and fear plastered across her face as Seungyeon's name appeared on the screen. She pressed _accept_ nervously and put the phone to her ear.

_"Chaeyoung told me everything."_

Jeongyeon didn't speak and just waited for Seungyeon to continue.

 _"And you know it's Easter Sunday. You won't be able to get another train."_ Another pause and a sigh from Seungyeon. _"You're lucky Dahyun's willing to work your shift for you on top of her own shift."_

Jeongyeon felt incredibly selfish and guilty.

"Seungyeon... I don't know what to say. I'm so sorry."

_"You better be. And you'll be working every day this week to make up for it. I'll pick you up at 10am tomorrow. Be ready."_

Jeongyeon was about say "thank you" before she heard a beep.

It was a fair punishment. The new employee had to work an extra shift, so Jeongyeon was to work every day for the next seven days. That meant Dahyun's shifts that she would originally be working on the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Mina felt lost as she looked at the woman beside her. "What did she say?"

As Jeongyeon explained, Mina felt her throat closing. It seemed inappropriate to ask about dinner at that point.

The blonde didn't want to ask Mina if she could stay with her, it felt too forward. The brunette seemed to understand this as she said, "I _would_ offer you the couch in my place but, I don't know if…"

Then it hit Jeongyeon. Finding a hotel at this rate on an Easter Sunday? Impossible.

"Well, I don't think I'll be able to find a hotel, to be honest," Jeongyeon wasn't trying to sound flirty. Instead, she sounded out of sorts and felt awkward asking Mina about staying the night at her place.

"That's the thing… I mean, at this rate, my place is the only option."

Jeongyeon _really_ didn't have a choice, and the thought of her staying the night at Mina's brought a whole new wave of nervousness over her. The brunette felt the same, and her cheeks heated up at the idea.

"I guess then… I'll take that offer. Thank you," Jeongyeon said, looking at Mina, who was blushing _very_ hard.

After a few seconds of looking at one another, "Did you mention dinner earlier?"

Mina smiled, "If you want to…"

"I'd like that very much."

**[18:34]**

After a couple of hours of Jeongyeon becoming acquainted with Mina's house, watching TV and talking about the most trivial things that sounded more interesting when they spoke to each other about it, they were now in a restaurant beside each other, enjoying sushi and each other's company.

Just like always.

Their hands constantly brushed against one another under the table, their quick glances always being full of fondness and growing affection.

All night long, the desire to kiss the other was constantly in the back of each woman's head.

They were just waiting for the right moment.

They finished up their meal just under an hour later and were in a taxi going back to Mina's apartment, their fingers intertwined the entire journey.

Once they were in the apartment, Mina offered Jeongyeon a cup of tea, which the blonde gladly accepted.

They stood in the kitchen and talked about the food, how delicious it was, and Mina said they should definitely go there again if Jeongyeon was to come back.

The blonde felt a pain in her chest at the word "if".

She decided to lay everything out on the table. Just as Seungyeon advised.

With Mina's back to her as she was making the tea, Jeongyeon said, "You know I want to keep seeing you, right?"

Mina stopped immediately. Her tongue ran over her lips as she thought about her words.

"Do you know that _I_ want to keep seeing _you?"_

The brunette felt Jeongyeon's eyes in the back of her head and decided to turn around. All she saw was longing within them.

And all Jeongyeon saw was the same emotion in Mina's eyes.

"Then why don't we do something about it then?"

Mina forced out a chuckle. "Like what?" She wanted Jeongyeon to say it.

"Mina...would you be my girlfriend? I know, we've only known each other a little over a month, and it seems crazy, and long distance sucks, but--"

She was cut off by a hand to her neck and a long kiss on her lips.

Soft lips that felt like velvet against her own. Lips she didn't want to break away from, that she deepened the kiss just enough to not go too far so Mina knew how much she wanted this.

Jeongyeon's hands found her waist as Mina wrapped her arms around the blonde woman's neck, her back arching slightly into Jeongyeon's body.

They pulled away but their lips stayed close.

They brushed noses as Mina whispered, "Yes, Yoo Jeongyeon."

Jeongyeon's heart did backflips at Mina saying her full name as she pulled her in for another quick kiss. And another. And another that was slightly longer. And another that lasted minutes.

By the time they stopped and drank their tea, it was lukewarm, but that gave them more of a reason to drink it quickly before finding each other's lips again.

Lips that they suddenly realised they wouldn't be able to kiss every day.

Lips they decided to cherish for the entire night.


	12. Long Distance is Tough, But We're Stronger

**[09:43]**

Jeongyeon moved around in bed as she was woken by the scent of breakfast being made. As she sat up, she was initially shocked by her location, but then remembered what had happened the evening before.

_'Mina's my girlfriend. Mina is actually my girlfriend. I can't believe it.'_

A huge grin appeared on her face as she pulled back the cover and got out of bed. She was wearing a set of spare pyjamas that Mina had given her, and was surprised but grateful that Mina had an extra toothbrush that she hadn’t used yet.

Jeongyeon recalled what had happened as she turned to pick up her phone. After spending God knows _how_ long kissing, they cuddled on the sofa and started watching a movie, before they decided they were so tired that they went from cuddling on the sofa, to cuddling in bed. Nothing had happened from what Jeongyeon remembered, but she knew she hugged Mina from behind and held her hand until they fell asleep.

Her heart swooned at the memory, but when she looked down at her phone, her heart started beating _fast._

_‘Crap, crap! Is that really the time?’_

She dropped her phone on the bed and started running around frantically. Picking up her clothes she began getting dressed.

Mina could hear the commotion from the kitchen and briefly stopped spreading jam on toast. She would usually make a bigger breakfast, but knew as soon as she woke up that there wouldn’t be enough time. “Jeong, is everything alright?”

The blonde nearly fell over after pulling up her jeans and called out, “Yeah! Everything’s-- fine…”

Mina chuckled to herself as she looked up at the clock and noticed why the older woman might be panicking. She finished making the toast and put the plate aside, “Breakfast is out here waiting! It’s not much but eat it slowly!”

Jeongyeon put her top on and jogged into the kitchen. Pressing a kiss to Mina’s cheek, making a wash of pink reach the skin, she grabbed the plate and sat down with it. Seungyeon would be there in ten minutes.

The blonde took a big bite of the toast, letting out a _thank you_ as the brunette sat beside her with her own plate. In only four bites the first slice of toast was gone, shocking Mina yet also making her laugh.

“What did I say? Eat it slowly…!” the brunette reminded her. Crumbs were spilling all over the plate as Mina continued, “You’ve got ten minutes, at least eat the second slice more slowly.”

Jeongyeon glanced at her as she was about to take a larger bite of the second slice, before she slowed down and took a much smaller bite, taking care when chewing and not rushing as much. Mina shook her head giggling as Jeongyeon looked down, a little embarrassed.

After a few minutes, they both finished their toast; the blonde stood and walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth as Mina stood and walked back into the bedroom to wait for her.

It was two minutes to ten when Jeongyeon finished in the bathroom and left. Seeing Mina standing there, she felt a sudden pang of hurt in her chest. They gazed at one another and the blonde woman stepped forward. Her hands found their place on the brunette’s hips and she pulled her in for a kiss, Mina’s fingers finding themselves entangled in Jeongyeon’s hair.

They pulled away but stayed close, their foreheads together.

“I had fun,” Mina whispered, the corners of her lips turning up.

“So did I,” Jeongyeon replied, placing another soft kiss to her lips, before she kissed her nose, then her forehead, then brought her closer into a hug, Mina wrapping her arms around the blonde woman’s neck.

“I can’t believe I _won’t_ know when I’ll see you again,” the brunette spoke into her ear in a hushed voice. The older woman bit the inside of her bottom lip. “Like, we just got together…”

“I know...but I promise we will see each other again.”

They remained in a comfortable silence and a close embrace until there was a knock on the door.

It was hard parting ways, it was harder saying goodbye, and it was even _harder_ knowing that it could be any length of time before they saw one another again. But they knew they would see one another again.

Every day for the first week that Jeongyeon was home, she walked through the same park after her shift ended and sat beneath the same cherry blossom tree where she took pictures of Mina the first day they met. On Saturday, she took off her backpack and took out her camera and looked through the pictures, admiring the brunette’s beauty, a wide smile on her face. She then remembered how her lecturers acted when she suddenly turned up the day before after not appearing for a week. She explained that she needed to work an entire week at the hotel to make up for lost hours, and they understood, but weren’t exactly pleased about it. Jeongyeon never missed lectures.

When Mina returned to the ballet school on Monday after the two became a couple, she was noticeably happier, but her mood carried a certain level of bittersweetness. Her teacher had asked her what happened and once the brunette had explained, the teacher was very happy for her. The long distance didn’t affect Mina while in class, but it was always present in the back of her mind. When it really hit her was when the two of them called each other of a night time. At least her wish came true: she was able to add three words to the end of the call.

On Sunday, the two of them called each other as usual in the evening; Mina was sat on her sofa at home, eating leftovers from the fridge as she asked, “How thankful are you that the week is finally over?”

There was a sigh at the other end, _“God, so glad. It was hell, but I know why I did it, as much as it sucks.”_

Mina nodded along with the reply, before she was asked how her week was, “Good, pretty good, yeah, I told my teacher about us. She’s really happy for us.”

 _“Aw, that’s cute,”_ Jeongyeon responded. The brunette couldn’t see, but knew for sure that she was blushing. There was a small pause before the blonde said, _“I miss you.”_

Mina exhaled, “I miss you too.” They didn’t realise how much harder long distance was going to be until they spent an empty week without one another. And it had only been a week. Spending _months_ apart was going to be even _more_ difficult.

_“We’ll definitely see each other soon, right?”_

“Of course we will.” Mina remembered how she worked afternoon weekend shifts at the local bakery. She had told Jeongyeon about it just after a week into the two of them knowing each other.

_Is it fun working there?_

_The people are lovely, and the atmosphere is really nice._

_You should take me there sometime._

Mina had promised to take Jeongyeon to her bakery at some point, but felt bad that Jeongyeon had travelled to her last time.

“When we _do_ meet again, I’m coming to you this time,” Mina stated.

_“Are you sure?”_

“Absolutely,” the brunette affirmed.

 

**ONE MONTH LATER**

 

The mild breeze settled in as the end of May drew nearer.

Mina stood at the edge of the platform, Momo and Sana to her right. Sana turned to her and asked, “Have you told your parents about the two of you yet?”

Mina eyed the floor. She _had_ told them, but they had no opportunity to meet yet. Until this weekend when both her mother and Jeongyeon agreed to meet, her mother saying how _delighted_ she was and how, she _can’t wait to meet her._

The brunette was thankful for her mother’s acceptance.

“I _have_ told them. My mother’s meeting her this weekend.” Sana clapped her hands in excitement before her face instantly fell.

“And your Dad?”

“He knows...he isn’t really prepared to meet Jeongyeon yet though,” she said downheartedly.

The two women to the right of Mina exchanged looks before Momo walked round to stand at younger woman’s left hand side. She wrapped a comforting arm around Mina.

“He will meet her, one day, and he will see just how awesome Jeongyeon is.”

The brunette glanced up at Momo, “You really think so? Also, you think that about Jeong?”

“Of course we do,” Sana piped up, wrapping a similarly comforting arm around Mina, “ever since you and Jeongyeon got together, you’ve been on cloud nine. And if she makes you happy, she makes us happy.”  
Mina smiled at her two best friends as the train approached.

They were right, she _was_ on cloud nine. And she didn’t know if she could get any higher.

**[18:33]**

The three of them arrived in Kakogawa and walked through the barriers into the station.

Ahead of her, Mina could see her girlfriend standing there, taking off her face mask and showing off the widest smile she could manage.

Dropping her luggage at her feet, she ran to the older woman and hugged her tightly; Jeongyeon picked her up in the process.

“Hey! I missed you!” Jeongyeon spoke into her ear.

“I missed you too,” Mina replied, and as the blonde woman put the brunette down, they gazed at one another before their lips met. They wasted no time as Mina’s body became flush with Jeongyeon, the older woman wrapping her arms tightly around the brunette’s waist, Mina resting one hand on the older woman’s neck and the other on her shoulder. They kissed with every intention of telling the other how much they missed one another, a month being far too long in their opinion.

As they pulled away to take a breath, the blonde joked, “It’s weird that you’ve come to where _I_ live so we can meet _your_ mother.”

Mina laughed, “Shut up,” she said playfully before they became lost in each other once again. It took Momo and Sana approaching and clearing their throats for the two of them to part, and even once they did, they never once let go of each other’s hands.

They spent the night at Jeongyeon’s place, only this time Mina was more prepared for the stay. The blonde allowed the brunette to sit atop her kitchen counter as she laughed at Jeongyeon’s bad jokes. They made their way through a bottle of wine and danced around in the kitchen to sometimes no music at all.

One month was definitely too long.

By the time the night was over, they were lying beside each other. Jeongyeon caressed Mina’s cheek, the brunette taking her hand and planting a delicate kiss to her fingertips.

“These days go by too quickly,” Jeongyeon whispered.

“Don’t they just,” Mina responded, before the blonde leaned over and kissed her, one hand on her waist, slowly, pouring so much affection into Mina that it filled her up completely.

The brunette wanted to do the same, wanted to show how much she felt for Jeongyeon. She changed their positions so now the blonde was lying on her back, and she kissed the woman below her deeply. They parted after a while and gazed into one another’s eyes.

They didn’t want to overstep any boundaries. They wanted to wait until the timing was perfect. And while it wasn’t tonight, they knew it would be soon.

They pecked each other on the lips once again before MIna fell onto the older woman’s body gently, her head placing itself perfectly under Jeongyeon’s chin.

“Let’s make _this_ weekend last longer,” Mina spoke in a hushed voice, before she fell into a deep sleep.

 

**TWO WEEKS LATER**

 

**[14:16]**

“So...you never told me how meeting Mina’s mother went,” Chaeyoung said, as she ate from her bowl of ramen.

“I didn’t?” _‘God, woman, you need to get better at telling your friends things.’_ Chaeyoung shook her head. “It went really well. Mina’s mother is such a sweet woman. She made us tea and baked us a cake and it went super, _super_ well. She said how happy she was that Mina had found someone…” The blonde blushed as she remembered the conversation.

The younger woman nodded as she drank from her bottle of water. “How are you two coping with the long distance?”

Jeongyeon felt a tiny knife cut into her heart. Every time she was reminded it hurt a little bit more inside. She couldn’t wait for the day when they would _finally_ no longer have to deal with it.

“We’re doing okay, we still call each other as much as possible. We plan to see each other again soon.”

Chaeyoung nodded as she ate some more of her lunch. A couple of minutes passed before she said, “You finish uni this year, right?” Jeongyeon nodded. “Well...I know it’s a bit of a long shot seeing as she _is_ your sister but, why don’t you take a couple of weeks off and go and stay with Mina during the summer?”

The blonde nearly dropped the chopsticks she was holding. The idea of staying with Mina for the more than a weekend sounded _great,_ but then she remembered Seungyeon.

_‘I’ve put her through enough already.’_

Chaeyoung noticed the clocks turning in Jeongyeon’s brain, “Look, I _did_ say it was a long shot. But...I’m thinking of applying to your hotel.”

Jeongyeon eyed the woman opposite, who nodded sincerely. “You think you’re up for the job?” the blonde asked.

“Well, yeah...it’s just being a receptionist, right?”

Jeongyeon wanted to laugh at Chaeyoung’s apparent naiveté.

“It’s a little bit _more_ than that, but, I’m sure Seungyeon is willing to take on extra staff. She’s been trying to find new people but no one’s interested. It’s only her, me and Dahyun.”

Chaeyoung looked down at her ramen and blushed slightly at the mere mention of the latter woman’s name. Jeongyeon picked up on this and said, “Chae, do...do you have a crush on Dahyun? Is _that_ why you asked?”

Chaeyoung played around with her food then finally admitted it, “Okay, okay, I guess I do have a bit of a crush…”

The blonde chuckled, but the younger woman opposite reassured that that was _not_ the only reason why she was applying for a job there. “Okay, whatever you say.”

They continued their lunch in comfortable silence, only making the odd comment here and there, all the while, Chaeyoung’s idea stayed in the back of Jeongyeon’s mind.

It took her four days to tell Seungyeon about it.

“Two whole weeks, huh?” Jeongyeon stood there nervously as Seungyeon considered it. “Well...I guess I can’t be _too_ cruel. I was the one who said long distance sucks. It must be really hard for the both of you.”

The blonde bit her bottom lip. She didn’t want her admittance to sound like a guilt trip but she couldn’t lie, it _did_ suck.

“I guess I _could_ give you the two weeks off…”

“Also, Chaeyoung said she wants to apply here.” Seungyeon stared wide-eyed.

“Wait, she does?”

Jeongyeon nodded, “Yeah, she seems pretty eager too.”

The older woman hummed curiously as Dahyun stepped out of the office. Seungyeon caught her attention, “Dahyun?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think you’re ready to train someone?” Jeongyeon bit her entire bottom lip. Chaeyoung would _implode._

“Do _you_ think I’m ready?” Dahyun responded, unsure of herself. Seungyeon nodded and told Jeongyeon that if Chaeyoung was ready to start, for her to be at the hotel on Saturday at 12pm.

“Don’t worry, Dahyun, I’ll overshadow your training. I think you’ve got what it takes though.”

Jeongyeon left the hotel that day with two weeks off and a message to send to Chaeyoung. The younger woman was in for a big surprise.

\--

When Mina and Jeongyeon saw each other again, the first thing the blonde woman told her was how she had been given two weeks off.

“Really?” Mina asked, surprised. “When do you leave uni?”

“In a couple of weeks! The two weeks I’ve been given off are at the end of July, if that works for you.” Mina nodded excitedly as they hugged one another.

They had been together two months.

\--

The two weeks they spent together consisted of art galleries, museums, dinner dates and staying at home to play games together in front of the TV. Jeongyeon quickly learned that Mina was a _very_ competitive gamer, and if there was any opportunity for her to beat Jeongyeon at a game, she would.

But the blonde didn’t care when all she could see was Mina’s wide smile that had first turned her world upside down four months ago.


	13. A Permanent Reservation

**[11:42]**

Mina waited outside the university building beside Jeongyeon’s parents and waited for her graduate girlfriend to come and meet them.  Suddenly, a large group of students filed out of the building, and among the crowd, Jeongyeon was there, hat on her head, scroll in her hands.

As soon as the blonde saw Mina, she excitedly smiled and ran up to her, and the brunette opened her arms to welcome her in a tight embrace. Jeongyeon's parents decided to give them some time, it had been just under a month since they last saw each other.

"You made it!" the blonde spoke into her ears, her eyes bright.

"How could I miss my girlfriend's graduation?" Mina replied. They pulled away from each other and the brunette saw the same blush appear on Jeongyeon's cheeks that would always appear. She took off her hat and passed that along with her scroll to her mother, who took it instantly.

The blonde then wrapped her arms around Mina's waist and brought her in for a kiss, the brunette resting her hands on her shoulders. Once they pulled away, Mina told the blonde that she would be there for a fortnight, and a grinning Jeongyeon couldn't help but capture her lips in another kiss, elated.

**[12:21]**

During lunch, Mina asked Jeongyeon what she was going to do with her photography degree.

"Well, hopefully, I'll get a job at an art gallery and one day become a manager for one. I've always loved going to art galleries so I've developed an interest in running one. I've already sent in a few applications, unis are really good at helping with that."

The brunette nodded as she ate a spoonful of food. "How does Seungyeon feel?"

The blonde took her bottom lip between her teeth, "It's hard, and it will be hard, and I feel guilty for leaving her to basically run the business all by herself…" Mina placed a comforting hand on Jeongyeon's.  _ "But… _ she said I didn't work towards a photography degree just to stay stuck inside that hotel for the rest of my life. She supports my decision, and has been hiring more people since...the hotel's had a bit of a refurbishment."

Mina's eyes widened, intrigued, "Really?"

"Yep! Seungyeon got enough money together to pay for a renovation of the hotel!" The brunette smiled, seeing how happy Jeongyeon was with the news. "It looks  _ so  _ much nicer, so more people have been staying and, more people have been applying."

Mina almost clapped her hands in excitement, "I'm really happy for you two."

The smiles and chuckles nearly died down completely when Jeongyeon asked her next question, "Will you still be attending ballet school?"

Mina was expecting this question. In truth, she had been pondering it for the past five months. She knew ballet was something she never wanted to give up, but she couldn't help but feel like her life needed to go in a new direction.

"I won't lie, I  _ love  _ ballet and it's something I feel so passionate about…"

"But…?"

"But…even though I once said that I'd never give it up, I also want to do something more with my life you know? Ballet is really all I've got at the moment…"

Jeongyeon took the brunette's hands into her own, "Even if you leave ballet school, that doesn't mean you'll be giving up ballet. It just means you'll stop going to a place that gets you to do it every day." Mina pondered her words. "Ballet will always be there, and as you said, it's something that you feel passionate about. But that shouldn't stop you from doing  _ other  _ things you might be passionate about."

The brunette looked up at the blonde, who was wearing a tiny smile and, out of the blue, leaned forward and kissed her on the lips.

Pulling away, but staying close, Mina whispered, "Thank you," before sitting back in her seat.

With a new wave of ambition, the brunette continued eating her food, leaving a slightly startled Jeongyeon to smile at her and continue eating herself.

\--

September came round faster than anyone could imagine, Mina having spent the last two weeks of August visiting temples and parks, eating food and also, planning out how she was going to move forward with her life.

She wasn't sure if she wanted to get a full-time job or go back to education. She only had her qualifications from school, having spent most of her adult life in ballet school.

_ There are plenty of online courses you could take,  _ Jeongyeon had said to her. Mina considered it throughout her entire journey back home.

Upon returning, she went back to her school and spoke to her teacher about leaving. It was a difficult conversation, one that had both of them crying partway through, but Mina knew she had to do it, and deep down her teacher could see it too.

Meanwhile, Jeongyeon was waiting for responses to the five applications she sent in. One by one, she received emails telling her,  _ unfortunately, we have rejected your application,  _ from all of them apart from one. Every step of the way she told Mina the news, and it was only a week after attending the interview that she was told she had been given the job.

_ "Oh my God, Jeong! That's amazing! I'm so proud of you,"  _ Mina said down the phone to Jeongyeon, who was over the moon.

"Thank you so much, I love you so much," the blonde replied.

_ "I love you, too." _

\--

Jeongyeon's first day at the art gallery went by smoothly. She enjoyed talking to people and sharing her knowledge on various pieces as she sat in the corner of her favourite part of the place,  _ photography. _

Mina decided that she was going to take Jeongyeon's advice and begin taking online courses. There was one university she had her eye on and she knew it meant having to leave the bakery behind and find new work, but if it meant closing the distance for good, she was going to take a chance.

It was late September, and the brunette decided to apply for an online course without telling Jeongyeon to make it a surprise.

Leaving her bakery job behind her, she boarded the train to Kakogawa to attend an interview with the university. The same university that Jeongyeon attended. Mina felt it was the perfect way to not only get qualifications, but live closer to her girlfriend and her mother.

She stayed with her mother until, when the interview came around, she was told there and then that she got a place on the course.

The brunette stepped out of the building, paperwork in hand, and looked up towards the blue sky that had very few clouds.

_ 'I can't wait to tell her." _

**[14:38]**

Jeongyeon opened the door to reveal Mina.

"Mina?" she said, surprised as the brunette wrapped her arms around the blonde, Jeongyeon immediately returning the hug. "Oh my  _ God,  _ what-- What's happening? Is everything okay?"

She could hear tears coming from the brunette.

"Mina,  _ baby,  _ what's going on? Come on, talk to me," Jeongyeon spoke in a low voice as she shut the door. The brunette pulled out of the embrace and showed the paperwork, tears staining her cheeks.

"I got in! I'm doing an online course with  _ your  _ university!"

Jeongyeon was barely able to process everything and it took a few seconds to register before she said, "Holy... _ crap,  _ what?"

"I'm doing a course with your uni!" Mina's smile was broad and her dimples were showing.

Jeongyeon took a few more seconds to process it before she said, "Mina...why didn't you--?" before she brought her in for another hug. "Why didn't you  _ tell  _ me?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise!"

"And God, a surprise it was!" The blonde pulled back and cupped Mina's cheeks before kissing her quickly and a  _ little  _ roughly. She then realised something, "Wait a minute," she spoke against Mina's lips before pulling back, "does that mean that you…"

"Want to move here?" The brunette stopped herself for a few seconds. Truthfully, it was a  _ lot  _ to think about, and Mina had only just been told that she got a place on the course.

She didn't want to rush things, knowing full well what they said to one another on their first date.

Then, the blonde finished her thoughts for her, "If you  _ do  _ want to move here...I would have absolutely no problem with you moving in."

Five months seemed too soon, but they both knew they didn't want to be stuck in a long distance relationship for much longer. Constant travelling back and forth, while rewarding, was also draining.

And while Mina  _ did _ come in the hopes of being able to close the distance for good, she  _ didn't _ know if Jeongyeon felt the same way.

"You wouldn't…?"

"Why would I? You're my  _ girlfriend,  _ and I  _ love you,  _ and every time you go home...I miss you so much. I know five months seems like a short period of time, but that doesn't stop me from thinking about waking up to you every day."

Mina bit her bottom lip at the words, the tears now falling being a result of them. Her heart felt full as she stepped forward and kissed her lips again softly, her arms wrapped around the blonde's neck, and Jeongyeon's arms around Mina's waist.

It felt like  _ home. _

And about three weeks later, when the autumn air was just as crisp as ever, and the leaves were different tones of orange, red, brown, Mina officially moved into her new home.

She had said teary-eyed goodbyes to everyone she knew back home. Sana and Momo always said that they were only two hours away, always a call away, and if she needed anything to just pick up the phone. The brunette smiled at the couple as she hugged them tightly.

Suddenly, she found herself with two suitcases and three boxes filled with the belongings that she wanted to take from her old house.

Her Dad agreed to drive her to Jeongyeon's house. The two of them met in July, and while things were initially awkward, they eventually started to get along.

It was a stressful time, but when Mina stood in  _ their _ bedroom for the first time and felt Jeongyeon hug her from behind gently, she completely melted into her touch.

She would be starting her course soon, and Jeongyeon would constantly work hard at the art gallery.

They met in the lobby of a hotel.

Now, Mina was making a permanent reservation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and... that's the last chapter!  
> there is an epilogue coming so i won't say much here but, i just want to kind of apologise for the slightly cheesy ending, i was trying to bring it full circle;😅


	14. Epilogue

"Merry Christmas, baby."

Jeongyeon handed over to Mina a black box with a silver ribbon tied around it. The brunette had just gifted the blonde a silver beaded bracelet, which Jeongyeon was already wearing, and it was time for Mina to receive her gift.

When she took off the ribbon and opened it, she saw laying on a white cushion, a black necklace. It sparkled a little against the light above them, and Mina brought a hand to her mouth.

"Oh my God...it's beautiful." She looked up at the blonde. "Thank you so much," she said before placing a kiss on her girlfriend's lips.

"You're welcome, Minari, here," she took the box from the brunette and took out the necklace. Mina instantly understood and turned to the right slightly to allow Jeongyeon to put it on.

Once she did, Mina stood up and went into the bathroom to look in the mirror, "Wow...it looks amazing!"

The blonde stood and followed Mina into the bathroom. Placing her hands on Mina's hips, she placed a kiss on her shoulder before bringing up her left wrist to show off the bracelet.

Their first Christmas together.

They stood in comfortable silence before Mina said, "We should get ready soon."

They were due to go to Mina's mother's house for a Christmas dinner.

They spent the entire afternoon and evening there before bidding everyone goodbye and returning home.

Once they got through the door, they got dressed into their pyjamas. Jeongyeon wore nothing but an oversized top while she waited for Mina to emerge from the bathroom.

When she did, she sauntered up to the blonde and wrapped her arms around Jeongyeon's waist. The blonde turned and they kissed for a while before Jeongyeon picked Mina up and carried her over to the bed.

Christmas night turned into Boxing Day as they gave each other a _second_ gift.

The morning after, snow stuck to the ground and Mina was the first to wake up. She put her pyjama top back on and walked over to the window.

"Jeongyeon! Look!"

The blonde's eyes fluttered open and she felt a smile immediately reach her face as she looked at Mina, who seemed so enthralled by the snow.

"We should go build a snowman!"

Jeongyeon chuckled, _"Do you wanna build a snowman?"_

The brunette turned and glared at her, but tried to suppress a laugh of her own before she replied with the next line.

They continued singing as Mina walked back over to the bed; their laughter filled the room and the brunette rested her head on Jeongyeon's legs as they sang the song.

About an hour later, they were wrapped up warm and standing in a park among a few families who were also out building snowmen. The two women set about rolling up the largest ball, laughing all the time and stopping every so often to steal a kiss.

Once they completed their snowman, they stepped back to admire it.

"I can't believe we bought a single carrot so we could do this," the blonde commented. Mina giggled and wrapped her arms around Jeongyeon's torso, as the blonde planted a kiss on her crown.

\--

Seungyeon was holding a New Year's Eve party at the hotel and had invited Jeongyeon and Mina to come, the two of them saying they wouldn't miss it for the world.

The two of them arrived at the hotel and for the first time, Mina saw the renovation in its entirety. She hadn't had a chance to visit the hotel again since living in Kakogawa, so when she arrived, she gazed at it in awe.

"Whoa, it looks amazing!"

"I know, right?" Jeongyeon replied. "She poured her heart...and her bank account into this."

They entered the building and went through to the bar area of the hotel where the party was taking place. Music was blaring from the speakers and drinks were everywhere.

Seungyeon greeted the two of them upon seeing them and offered both a drink.

Deep into the night, they talked, laughed, drank and ate and danced until their feet were sore.

When the time came for the countdown, Jeongyeon pulled Mina close when they stepped outside of the hotel to see the fireworks.

A chorus of people shouted, "10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1! Happy new year!"

Fireworks went off in the night sky as Jeongyeon and Mina shared a deep kiss that could have lasted hours, pulling away every so often to drunkenly repeat _I love you_ and _happy new year_ over and over again.

At around 1am, they decided to retire to one of the rooms. Seungyeon gave them a key when they arrived but they didn't bother to check it, until then when they both looked down and smiled widely.

Climbing the stairs, they unlocked the door to their room and almost fell in, completely drunk, before shutting the door.

On the door, was a shiny new gold plaque.

_107._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, that's the end of room 107!  
> i didn't want to wait any longer, as soon as i posted the last chapter i just wanted to write the epilogue and upload it;😄  
> i just want to thank everyone for the support on this story; what originally started out as a one chapter drabble that i originally wasn't going to continue, turned into a little fic that i am seriously proud of;  
> i can't believe room 107 is over! this has been a journey; thank you all once again, ily 💙  
> room 107 also has a side story!  
> [Learning on the Job](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20027869)  
>  LRB ✌️

**Author's Note:**

> twitter: @littleredbean37


End file.
